A Change of Pace
by Mickey Cookies
Summary: AU: Aerith is alive. Everyone has gotten their happily ever afters, but Aerith has just received some shocking news! She's pregnant with the planet's only other Cetra. Rating changed due to adult situations and language.
1. Positive?

Hey everyone! I'm back with my first AU story! This idea has been bugging me for days now so I just had to write it! I hope you enjoy it!

Final Fantasy does not belong to me otherwise Aerith would still be alive.

Enjoy!

**EDIT: 7/20/11**

* * *

She couldn't believe it.

Aerith just couldn't believe it.

She slowly read the symbol on the test in her hands over, and over, and over again, watching it intently in hopes it would change but it didn't. Slowly backing up until her back met the cold surface of the bathroom wall, she closed her eyes tightly, hoping it wasn't true.

Positive.

She was pregnant.

Her heart accelerated to the point of bursting and she did her best to prevent her tears from escaping.

Should she be happy. . .or sad?

"Oh my god. . ." she whispered hugging herself from the chill of the early morning; she thought she was just being delusional when she had snuck out and bought the small box of tests, but she was never expecting this. Positive. Positive. . . .Positive. She frowned slightly and pushed herself off the wall, '_I must be crazy_' she thought. As she moved to retrieve another test, but just as her fingers grasped the tip of the plastic her eyes unconsciously fell on the untouched box of pads.

She bit her lower lip and thought back, doing the math in her head and whispering numbers as she counted on her fingers. She gasped as the realization struck her; she was two weeks late! Her hand came to her mouth to stifle her gasp, she had been so caught up with training the new recruits she had completely forgotten about it! Aerith let her gaze fall onto the small white test in her hands and her shoulders shook. The door to bathroom rattled as the sound of knocking echoed about the quiet room, "Aerith, you okay in there?" her head shot up as the voice rang in her head. It was him. The father.

She mentally smacked herself.

'_Of course he's the father! Who else would be?_'

She cleared her suddenly dry throat, "Y-yeah, I-I'm fine!" She tried her best to sound her usual happy self but there was nothing she could do about the traitorous shake in her voice.

There was a pause before his reply came, ". . .ok. You know where to find me then." With that said she heard the soft padding of his boots fade and the click of the door. He left; she released a breath she didn't even know she was holding and sighed. Why was she so scared? Slowing reaching down to collect her skirt, she stepped into it and brought it up her legs, pulling the button through the hole, she looked at herself in the mirror.

Turning to look at herself from the side, she brushed her fingers protectively over her skin. There were no signs of it now but she knew in just a short matter of time she wouldn't be able to wear her bare midriff uniform anymore. Not like it mattered anyway but she knew it would raise questions.

'_How am I going to tell the father?'_ She frowned '_Why do I keep referring to him as if he were my secret lover?_' she asked herself a little irritably before staring hard at herself in the mirror.

Trudging outside she asked herself, whispering, ". . .How am I going to tell Cloud?"

* * *

So what did you guys think? Chapter 2 should be up pretty soon!


	2. Stage 1

Wow, I was just surprised at how many people liked this idea, it's just...wow! Well here is chapter 1, the first one was sort of like a prologue but I wanted to give it a name. It may seem a bit serious at first but don't worry there is a little surprise at the end ;D

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Final Fantasy or any of its characters, they belong to SQUARE-ENIX.

Reviewers:

SeungSeiRan: Yeah I tried to go for something different. Too many angsts out there but don't get me wrong I love angst! The first one was intended to be short so I hope you're happy with this one's length.

XxInnocetSinxX: Thanks I'm glad you liked it! Hope you enjoy this one too!

**EDIT: 7/20/11**

* * *

Yuffie looked up at the sound of the electric door's buzz and smiled at who she saw. "Aeri-!" the young ninja's smile fell as she took in the sight of the older woman before her.

It didn't take a genius to know that the Cetran woman was beautiful; she had a pretty smile and bright eyes, not to mention, well—almost everything! It was easy to see why Cloud had fallen in love with her. Even a girl like her who couldn't care less about appearances, ok that was a lie, could tell Aerith was a knock-out.

Looking at her now though, she looked like—to put it bluntly—crap. Yuffie just stared with her mouth agape, "err. . .good morning?" The green eyed woman forced a smile and crossed the room to the metal counter top, "morning" was all she could muster. Reaching over and grasping the handle of the coffee pot, a sudden thought struck her.

'_Can I still drink coffee?'_

Sighing, Aerith gently set it back down on the counter and walked over to the fridge Cid kept for the members of AVALANCHE. Yuffie watched as she silently prepared a cup of tea for herself and frowned, something didn't feel right. She'd expect this kind of behavior from Cloud, but never from Aerith. "Man you're so quiet today! I'd almost mistake you for Choco-ass!" the ninja said a little too loudly for Aerith's sleeping mind.

The Cetra jumped at Yuffie's statement and narrowed her eyes at the younger girl, "Yuffie! What did I tell you about calling Cloud that?" She said in a stern but motherly tone. Aerith paused._'Caught myself off guard there' _she thought.

Yuffie just grinned, giving a small wave of her hand ,"yeah, yeah whatever!" standing to put her plate in the sink she leaned on the edge, swaying out of idle boredom, "So what kept you up? You look like hell." Aerith didn't answer; crossing her arms over her chest Yuffie circled her, as if sizing her up and smiled. "Sorry, let me rephrase that. Is it question of what, or who?"

Stirring a spoon in her tea, Aerith gave Yuffie a blank look, "What do you mean?"

The ninja gave Aerith a devilish grin and wagged her finger, "You _know_ what I _mean_!"

Aerith blushed as she caught the meaning of the ninja's words, "Yuffie!" The implications were a little _too_ intimate (personal) for her liking.

Yuffie stuck her tongue out and ran around the table to escape the woman before she could think of a punishment, laughing all the way. Aerith only blushed and averted her gaze to the floor, protectively wrapping her arms around her middle as the nagging thought returned. _'How is he going to take it?'_ Yuffie's laughing ceased as she noticed the mood of the room darken, something was definitely wrong. Guilt instantly took her over and she softly placed a hand on the older woman's shoulder, "I was only kidding, Rithy, you didn't have to take it so seriously," she said offering a smile, but to no avail.

Grabbing her cup of tea, Aerith gave a small smile turning, "you have it all wrong, Yuffie; it has nothing to do with you," she said reassuringly before walking off. The ninja just watched her go and crossed her arms, '_She got all emo when I talked about Cloud. Something's up between those two_' Just as she was about to follow, speak of the chocobo! Cloud came in through the hallway.

Yuffie huffed, "Hey!"

Cloud looked up from the stack of papers and binders in his hands, "What?" he asked, clearly annoyed by the ninja's mere presence.

The two were never known to get along.

* * *

She watched silently as the world flew past at an incredible speed beneath her. The Sherra's viewing deck was absolutely beautiful when the sun was going down. Today was no different. She loved the feeling of the wind against her skin and blowing through her hair as the sky became multiple colors of reds, pinks and oranges. Watching the sunset was something she rarely got to do now that she had tagged alongside the WRO.

Then again, she thought, leaning over and resting her arms on the railing, she had spent most of the day hiding from everyone and backing up a whole day's worth of work.

Reeve had told her he wanted to return the planet back to the state it was in when it was young, and being the last Cetra, of course, she jumped at the chance to nurse the planet back to health. That was about three years after the destruction of meteor, _after_ the whole DeepGround crisis. Of course when Cloud found out she was helping the WRO, he didn't want to leave her alone after what he'd experienced with Rosso. For the longest time he had even tried to talk her out of it, trying to explain to her she was just setting herself up for a life of fighting. Eventually she got her way with him trailing right behind her.

Vincent, Yuffie, and Cid were practically running the show, and sure enough, the rest of the gang got involved in some way. ". . .Last," she thought aloud, bowing her head, she repeated the word, ". . .last?" The nagging thought had returned once again. A taunting voice laughed in her head.

_Not anymore!_

She had to tell Cloud. But how could she? She knew what she had to go through as a child; she knew what happened to her father because of it. What if there were still people who wanted the Cetra dead? What if there were still people who believed her child, or herself, could lead them to the Promised Land? What if everything that happened to her parents happened to them? Would he be angry?

Aerith's eyes widened.

Would he leave her?

She covered her mouth to hide the sudden gasp that had escaped her, '_He wouldn't! . . .would he?_' she wouldn't blame him if he did. She knew he had every reason to, but the thought still scared her, no, terrified her.

A hand grasped her shoulder, and out of reflexes she had forgotten she had, she swiftly turned and delivered a weak punch, but her wrist was caught as it was about to come into contact with the owner's face. She blushed as she saw the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever gazed upon and realized her "attacker" was none other than Cloud himself. A shadow of a smile played on his lips as he released her wrist, "It's good to know you have your guard up at all times."

She turned away from him then, crossing her arms over her chest, muttering, ". . .thanks." Cloud's frown deepened, Yuffie was right (he shuttered slightly at the thought) something was wrong with her. Running a hand through his messy locks made even messier by the wind, he sighed.

He had never been good in situations like these. She stiffened when she felt his arms wrap around her from behind and she couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips when he placed his chin on her shoulder, one of his hands traveling up her abdomen, resting on her arm, and taking her hand into his own. ". . .Remember when you promised to take me on an airship?" she whispered softly.

He nodded against her skin, the soft spikes of his hair tickling her cheek and the side of her neck, "How can I forget?" Letting her go, he took hold of her shoulders and turned her around to face him, running his fingers through her hair, his face became stern, "What's wrong?"

She flinched and looked down, now was her chance, ". . .Cloud I. . .I think I'm. . .I'm-" she looked into his eyes and continued, "I-we. . .we're going to be—" he waited expectantly for her to finish, the slightest bit of confusion crossing his face, but she froze. She couldn't do it. "We're. . .we're. . ." she tried to desperately make up a reasonable excuse when her face suddenly became serious. He grunted as he was pushed out of the way and watched in a daze as she ran as fast as she could down the corridor.

Blinking he scratched the back of his head and looked to the spot where she disappeared, ". . .What just happened?"

She ran as fast as she could, pushing some of Cid's crew members out of the way, reminding herself to apologize later as she ran up the stairs, not having time to wait for the elevators. As soon as she reached the second level, she bolted for the room she shared with Cloud and slammed the door open, almost tripping over some things on the floor she slammed the bathroom door open and fell to her knee's.

From outside, the sounds of purging could be heard.

She breathed heavily as she supported herself on the seat, only one thought crossing her mind.

_It has begun._

* * *

Well that ends it, like I said I really wanted to make it funnier but it seems like this part of the story had to be serious; at least I threw in the last part to make it a little lighter!


	3. Happy Birthday

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own anything, just the plot.

Reviews:

angelwings263: Thanks I'm glad you like it!

imashitowareto: Surprised huh? I knew people would be, and thanks!

Angelalex242: Thanks for the vote; let's see if you're right!

**EDIT: 7/20/11**

* * *

Things had only gotten worse.

She knew her friends were becoming suspicious of her "odd" behavior, but she didn't suspect any of them to know about her secret.

Tifa patted the older woman's back as she purged over the toilet, gasping and coughing. Tifa cringed, she loved her friend to pieces but she wasn't so sure she was loving her. . .lunch, or what was left of it, something was wrong. Aerith had been throwing up for the past couple of weeks now; the barmaid knew Aerith was not one prone to air sickness like Yuffie was. She must have been really sick; it just wasn't natural to be throwing up as much as she was. Aerith's head shot up as she coughed trying to comb back her sweaty matted hair, her face was flushed and her head was pounding.

Offering a sympathetic smile, Tifa rubbed the Cetra's back soothingly, "Do you feel bet-" she was interrupted by another "astounding" symphony of Aerith's **very** upset stomach. Tifa jumped back a little out of surprise but quickly assisted her friend, holding the green-eyed woman's chestnut locks back and away from her face. When once again Aerith's head came back up, she was blushing madly, she really wished Tifa hadn't decided to watch over her, but she was still very grateful for the help.

Tifa smiled and handed her a wet hand towel, taking it, Aerith gently wiped her mouth as she slowly rested her back against the cool wall of the bathroom, "I'm sorry you had to see that" she whispered.

Tifa crawled over to sit beside the older woman and shook her head, "You don't have to be, you're my best friend, of course I'd help you," resting her head against the wall she turned to look at Aerith, "Is something wrong? No one should throw up that much, I should know, I used to be around people who puked all day!" she joked.

Aerith sat there, quiet, she opened her mouth to speak but no words came. _Should I tell Tifa?_ She asked herself. Tifa was probably the best and worst person she could tell her secret to. She was the best because she knew the barmaid would keep it to herself until the time came, and watch out for her just in case she got into trouble. . .but. She was also the worst because she knew that once upon a time she had loved Cloud too, if not still loved him.

Aerith didn't know how Tifa would take the news, if she still loved him, surely it would break her heart. She never wanted to do that to her best friend. She would never forgive herself if she did, but she still wasn't sorry about the fact she was carrying Cloud's child. Nothing could have prevented that in the end. The queasy churning feeling in her stomach had ceased and she pushed herself up, pressing the towel to her lips still, just in case her stomach decided to go for an unwanted round two. Pushing aside the inner conflict within herself she shook her head and said "I'm okay I just. . .haven't been feeling well lately," she decided to go for.

Tifa stood too and frowned, not really sure whether to believe the older woman or not, placing her hands on her hips, Tifa sighed, "If you say so. . ."

Aerith smiled slightly and turned to leave before casting a glance at the younger woman, "Teef?" Tifa smiled back at her, a sign she was listening. Aerith continued, "Thank you."

* * *

She knew she had waited too long to tell anyone but she had a very good reason, she knew exactly who she was going to tell, and she also knew exactly when she was going to tell them. Aerith had it all planned out and hopefully, if nothing went wrong, the secret would be out by that night.

Applying the last of her lip stick she set the small black tube on her vanity table and smacked her lips to make the color somewhat deeper, smiling at herself in the mirror she turned and looked at her attire, then back up again, "So? What do you think?" she asked the small girl sitting on the bed.

Marlene's smile brightened and she clasped her hands together in joy, "Aerith, you look so pretty!" she gushed, it was true. She had chosen something simple for the occasion, just a short strapless red dress that hugged her curves and had a small slit on the left side, she had also somehow managed to twist her hair up into a French twist and applied just the lightest tint of pink on her lips, even so the older woman looked like a super model in the small girl's eyes. Aerith smiled at Marlene and picked up her wedding necklace, lowering it to rest above the curve of her bust, she closed the clasp in place and let it hang around her neck loosely, the white gold pendant shone brightly, _'done'_. Looking at the clock in her room she gasped as she noticed the time, 8:27, she was going to be late!

Cid let out a refreshed belch as he set his teacup down on the table, "That's some damn fine tea you make there, Elmyra!"

Elmyra smiled and poured some for Yuffie as she sat at down, "Thank you."

Barret grinned, picking up his own cup before turning to Elmyra, "Thanks for takin' care of Marlene for me again, it means alot to me that someone I trust is watching out for her now that we got the whole WRO thing goin.'"

Elmyra shook her head, "It's no problem. She's such a sweet heart. I never really noticed how much I've missed being a mother until Aerith started a life of her own," she said a little sadly ,"but that's just life, I'm sure if my husband was still around he would have felt the same way too." She turned to stare at a picture on the wall, Barret's, Cid's, and Yuffie's eyes following her line of sight. It was one of Aerith at probably 6 or 7; she was sitting in their flower garden, laughing happily.

Yuffie smiled widely, "Aww! How cute!"

It was an off week for the WRO. Since they had been training so hard the recruits were on call for one glorious week, with the soldiers gone, that gave the members of AVALANCHE some time for themselves. So of course, here they were at Elmyra's house in Kalm, visiting the children and the older woman, she had decided to stay there in the small village instead of moving to Edge like everyone else. She didn't want to go back to the city life, it reminded her too much of the slums in Midgar. If asked, anyone in the group would say it was nice being there; even Vincent had come to think so. Aerith's mother was as sweet as her daughter, allowing her home to be open for them any time they needed.

Not to mention the woman just absolutely adored Marlene and Denzel and was happy to care for them, with Elmyra they had a chance at the normal life they both deserved.

Red looked up as his nose picked up the scent of vanilla, turning to the staircase he waited for the cause of the scent to approach, Vincent and Tifa noticed this and watched as Marlene came down the stairs chatting away to someone behind her. Everyone's eyes widened as Aerith finally touched the floor and started walking quickly towards the front door. Everyone all at once stared at the young picture of her by Elmyra, and then to the present day Aerith standing before them.

Cid was the first to recover, ". . . god_damn_."

Looking up from the clock in the corner she hurried out the door calling, "Sorry guys don't want to be late, love you mom!" And she was gone, the door shutting softly behind her.

Everyone looked at Elmyra and the old woman just smiled with a shrug, "She's just grown up so fast. . ." her voice sounded like she couldn't believe it herself.

* * *

Tapping her fingernails against the table Aerith sighed, and here she was thinking **she** was going to be late, the stupid clock on the wall next to her ticked loudly as if to taunt her. She was just five more ticks away from smashing the thing into pieces. She didn't understand though, everyone had the week off, what could have possibly been taking him so long. . .? "Excuse me, Miss?" She was snapped out of her daze when the waiter spoke, "Oh, um yes?" the waiter forced a smile and asked, "Are you here by yourself tonight, Miss?"

Aerith frowned slightly, turning to gaze at the clock, "I don't think so," she said. The waiter presented a bottle of wine and Aerith's eyes widened and she shook her head, "No thank you." She couldn't touch that stuff for eight more months, the waiter nodded and turned to the next table and she sighed. Her fingers drummed softly on the table and her momentary hatred of the clock above her was forgotten.

A strand of her hair fell in front of her eyes and she blew it away, she was getting bored. She had planned everything out so perfectly she was beginning to question if he even remembered he had to meet her. She had waited too long in keeping her secret to herself, she needed to tell him, tonight was the perfect chance and any other day just wasn't going to cut it. Something bumped into her table and she jumped, the cause of the bump turned around and leaned on the table, smiling at her stupidly.

It was a man she didn't know.

More specifically, it was a drunk man she didn't know.

The smell of alcohol took over the air and she placed her hand over her nose to block it out, the man just laughed and she noticed how his left eye twitched.

To be even more specific, it was an alcohol poisoned man she didn't know.

"Hey you know! You know, err. . ." he snorted this time and her eyes narrowed, "You. Are. . .Kind of hot!" He said looking her up and down, she sighed and glared at him.

No matter how annoying he was, she wasn't rude, "Sorry, not interested." _'Hmm...' _she thought, she was starting to sound like _someone _she knew.

The man was a persistent one, "You don't have to be. . ." he slurred leaning into her, her hand came between him and her, and her frown deepened.

"First off, I'm married, second—" she pulled an ID from her purse and raised it in his line of focus, "I'm not so sure my husband **or** my friends would be so happy with you," she said dangerously.

Through the drunken haze of his mind, he was just barely able to make out the word Strife and his eyes widened. He backed away, "Oh my god, you're a Str-" he collapsed on the floor from the sudden movement. The whole room erupted into surprised gasps and she blinked, unsure of what had just happened. Two waiters instantly ran over and removed the man.

"That's it! I'm not going to wait here another second," just as she stood up cold leather touched her shoulders.

"Leaving so soon?" her heart stopped at the voice and she gulped, turning slightly she saw who she had been waiting for.

Forcing a smile she whispered, "Cloud." Her confidence had been shattered as soon as he had touched her.

She sat in her chair and he pushed it in for her, moving away he took his own chair and sat down, "Sorry I'm late. We may have some time off but that doesn't stop the flow of delivery orders we still get."

She nodded realizing her hands were shaking, hiding them under the table she smiled nervously, "It's okay. . ." He pulled off his jacket and rested it on the chair behind him.

"You look beautiful," he whispered.

Blushing she turned to hide it, "Thanks." Trying to regain her lost confidence she placed a hand on top of his and said, "Happy Birthday Cloud."


	4. Suprise, Suprise!

**EDIT: 7/20/11**

* * *

Her heart was beating so fast it was a wonder it didn't burst right then and there, Cloud only shook his head, pulling his hand back, his eyes met hers. "It's just another day." Aerith tilted her head, biting her lip as she did so, '_that's what __**you **__think. . .'_ pushing the thought to the side she smiled at him.

"Come on, no one should be so down on their birthday."

He rolled his eyes, "Just another day" he repeated.

Leaning back in her chair she said, "Maybe, maybe not," looking down she hid her eyes from him and continued, "I have something important to tell you." He raised an eyebrow questioningly at her, but stayed silent none the less. The room suddenly became hot, and the voices around her grew louder seemingly a hundred-fold, ". . .but first," reaching into the small bag she brought with her, she pulled out a long box covered in blue wrapping paper.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips but disappeared quickly, "You didn't have to, you know," he said.

She grinned and shrugged, "Well I did anyway, you should know me by now, Cloud Strife," as she finished her sentence she stuck her tongue out at him, a very childish thing she knew annoyed him. She was rather impressed with her acting skills, on the outside she was her normal, usual self, but on the inside she was a nervous wreck. He moved to take the box, but before he could even come close to it she moved it out of his reach, "Why don't we wait a while now, hmm?"

* * *

She didn't know what had brought her up here in the first place but here she was. Tifa reached the top floor of the Sherra and frowned, crossing her arms she paused to think, "What did I come up here for again?" The long corridors were dark and empty, what on Gaia was she supposed to be looking for? Tifa clenched her fists and groaned. She knew exactly what she came out to the Sherra for when she left Elmyra's house and now that she was here she couldn't remember, sighing, Tifa continued onward, hoping the surroundings would give her _some_ sort of indication to what she needed.

_'Typical'_ she thought.

She just kept walking and walking, struggling to remember, when a dim light caught her attention, _'. . .no one is supposed to be here right now'. _Heading towards the light she placed her hand on the wall, she called "Cid? Is that you?" there was no reply, "Vincent? Reeve?" those were the only other people she could think of that would still be on the ship. As she got closer, so did the light get brighter, the only companion she had was the sound of her footsteps bouncing off the walls in a monotonous melody. The light was at its brightest now, and she was relieved to find out someone had just left the light on in one of the rooms. Allowing herself in, she noticed a dark colored coat lying on the bed, "huh?" She picked it up in her hands and noticed the many badges and symbols on the right and left shoulders, and breast pocket.

The light that came in from the other side of the room shined on a gold colored clip, highlighting it just enough for her to make out the words, **CLOUD STRIFE**. Looking around the room she noticed a pair of small guns on the nightstand that rested on top of a pale pink top, beside it, a picture of AVALANCHE in the ruins of the church in sector five. Beside that was another picture, except with only two people in it this time, a raven haired, blue eyed man and a green eyed, woman with wavy cinnamon hair.

Zack and Aerith.

She let the coat fall from her grasp as she realized _whose_ room this was. It was Aerith and Cloud's room.

Frowning, she shook her head and walked towards the bathroom, "I bet Cloud was the one who left the light on," she muttered to herself. Her hand came up to flip the switch but a noise sounded behind her, turning around the switch was forgotten. She knelt down and began to pick up the mess she had accidently made when she opened the door when she noticed exactly _what_ she was picking up. It was a small plastic stick. . .thing, "What in the—" she turned it over and her eyes widened, her grip on the "stick" slackening and it fell to the floor once again with a small clatter. Shaking her head she searched around the bathroom floor until she finally found what she was looking for, she picked up the box the sticks had fallen out of and she gasped.

She didn't mistake what the stick really was. The box was a hot pink color but it was the words on it that had confirmed her thoughts: Home Pregnancy Tests. Placing her free hand over her mouth, she suppressed a gasp from escaping; she knew something had been wrong with Aerith. But she never could have guessed it was something as big as this. . . "Oh my god."

* * *

Aerith looked up from her glass of water to find icy blues eyes staring at her intently, she shifted uncomfortably. Normally she would have taken the opportunity to tease him about his wandering eyes, but now the eyes she had come to love so much made her extremely nervous. "What?" She asked sinking into her seat.

His eyes never left hers, and she was somewhat relieved when he closed them and shrugged, "Nothing, I was just thinking of something my. . .mom told me a long time ago," he whispered.

Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she cleared her throat before asking, "What did she say?"

Leaning back he brushed the question off, "It was nothing important." She frowned softly. Cloud and her had been married for a while, but even though she was his wife, he still felt compelled to tell her what was on his mind sometimes. Moving her fork around on her plate, she absentmindedly pushed a meatball off to the side,". . . but sometimes I wonder—" she looked up once more to see him staring out the window, "—what she would have thought of you." Sapphire met emerald again, "I really believe, she would have loved you."

Inside, she wondered if it was hard for Cloud to talk about his mother, he was a strong spirit, but she knew there were things that hurt him deeply too, he was human after all.

Deciding to change the subject to a happier one she slid the blue box across the table to him, "Enough of this now. We shouldn't dwell on sadness." Setting his glass aside he took the package into the hand closest to it, "I think it's time you open your gift."

Nodding he said, "Thanks," and brought his fingers to the taped edges, pulling lightly, _'Yuffie—'_ Aerith thought amusedly, _'would have torn the wrapping paper to shreds. . .'__,_ neatly placing the paper off to the side, he held the box by itself and removed the lid. His eyes grew slightly larger at the object inside. Reaching in he pulled out a long dagger with bolts surrounding its hilt, "Where?" He asked, his voice wasn't surprised, just curious.

"My secret," she laughed, he placed it back inside, if they weren't in a public area he would have tested it out, it looked like an ordinary dagger, but it was only in its inactive mood. In active mode it would have grown into a blade almost as big as his old buster sword.

What made it unique was the bolts on its hilt that allowed him to add it to his current weapon as an upgrade. "It's perfect," he smiled, "thank you." Just as she opened her mouth to speak, there was a low ringing sound, followed by a rumble from a vibration, she sealed her lips when he reached into his pocket and read the front screen, "Hold on a second." He stood up and flipped the phone open, his eyes scanning the restaurant for an exit, "What is it?" Slumping in her chair she released a breath she didn't even know she was holding.

As soon as he was outside, he felt the cold chill of the night.

"What is it Tifa?" He asked once more.

* * *

Yeah I lied. I added that little twist there at the last minute, it just worked so perfectly I couldn't pass it up! Hope everyone liked it so far; the next chapter should be up pretty soon.

Oh yeah

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me besides for the plot.


	5. What Can Possibly Go Wrong?

Sorry it took so long, but chapter 5 is finally here!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Final Fantasy VII or anything related to this story. That should be pretty obvious =)

EDIT: 7/20/11

* * *

Okay.

Everything was going to be okay, everything was going to be just perfect . . . when he came back. Aerith was holding her head in her hands and resting her elbows on the table. She was too nervous to breathe; she was so close to telling him, soooooo close. Her eyes started to water and she rubbed at them roughly, she was breathing heavily now, and she had no idea why. She felt like she did when she saw Hojo lying on the beach at Costa del Sol all those years ago, she was scared.

She was scared of telling her own husband she was pregnant!

It's not like she was having an affair and it wasn't his! Then she could understand being scared to tell him, but she _wasn't _having an affair, and the child was completely and utterly _his_. So why was she so scared? Aerith sniffed lightly. She had to chin up, what if Cloud walked in and saw her like she was now?

Coughing, she brushed her bangs back. Cloud loved her. So much had happened between them over the years, something as petty as her carrying his child wasn't going to tear them apart was it?

'_No.'_

If Cloud really loved her, then she was wrong to believe things would take a turn for the worst.

"What is it Tifa?"

Tifa stood when she heard Cloud answer the phone.

"Cloud!" She cried, on the other end he pulled the phone slightly away from his ear at her cry of his name.

"What?" He asked, not holding back the annoyance in his voice. She had decided to call at a bad time, "I'm busy right now."

Tifa's eyes narrowed even though he couldn't see it, "Sure you are. . ." she started to pace back and forth across Cloud and Aerith's room as she spoke, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Cloud raised an eyebrow, "Hmm?"

Tifa slapped her forehead irritably, "You know what I mean!"

Okay, now Cloud was starting to get confused. "No. I don't." Then it struck him, he knew what she was talking about. "Dammit, I can't even go out with my wife without you getting your damn panties in a twist!" he shouted. Tifa blushed, did he just call her an over protective control freak?

"What? No!"

"Then what is it?" he asked loudly.

"Why didn't you tell me about Aerith?" She asked, "I'm your friend right? So why didn't you tell me?"

Cloud ran his hand through his hair, "I wish I knew what you're talking about." Tifa sat back down sighing.

"I just want to know . . . why didn't you guys tell me?"

_'Why am I getting so upset?'_

Deep down inside of her, ever since Cloud and Aerith had gotten together, she had always thought she would also be a part of this time in their lives. It was foolish of her to think she could ever be with them during such an event, but she wanted to, she may love Cloud, but she also cared for Aerith deeply, she was her best friend. Tifa wanted to protect her through anything; it didn't matter if it was an enemy on the battle field or watching over her kids at the park. She wanted to be there for Aerith. Her previous thoughts had only proven to be right, what she wanted was only her foolish hopes getting the best of her.

"Tell you what?" His voice asked almost pleadingly, **almost**. Tifa's eyes widened as a sudden thought struck her, what if the tests had only been a false alarm? What if Aerith wasn't even pregnant? If that was the case then what would have happened if she told Cloud, and then _he _thought she was pregnant when she wasn't? She blushed as a million logical explanations for the tests rushed through her head all at once.

_'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!'_

"Umm, what I mean is NEVER MIND!" she cried snapping her cell phone shut.

She could faintly make out the sound of his voice as it closed, "Wait Ti-!"

Her heart pounded violently in her chest and she threw herself backwards, covering her face with her hands as her back collided with the soft sheets on the mattress.

"STUPID!STUPID!STUPID!" she shouted quickly, like it was only one word and not three. Standing she turned the light off in the bathroom and left the room as quickly as possible, on her way to the door she passed the picture again. The one of all the members of AVALANCHE standing together. Walking over she picked up the frame, holding it gently in her hands as she stared at it, Aerith and her were standing next to each other smiling. On the off chance her best friend really was pregnant . . . would things change between them? After all, the older girl would be the mother to the man she loves child. Would things ever be the same? Would they leave to give the child a better chance at life than they had?

Would she be left out of their beautiful future?

His phone went silent and he pulled it away from his ear to look at the screen, only to be met with the words: Call Ended.

". . ."

He shook it off and put his phone back in his pocket, making a mental note to himself to ask her what the hell just happened later. He had already been outside for a while; he didn't want to keep Aerith waiting. Pulling one of the double doors open he stepped inside, searching for her (once again that night) before maneuvering through the tables. From where he stood he could see her leaning over the table with her head in her hands, nothing would have bothered him about such a pose normally but it was one look at her eyes that had told him all, they weren't bright and vibrant like earlier, they were dull.

He hadn't been gone that long had he?

Walking between two more tables he finally made it back to her and took a seat. He was about to speak when she beat him to it.

"Cloud. We need to talk."

His eyes went slightly larger; 'We need to talk' never meant anything good. She sat back in her chair and looked away from him, "I've wanted to tell you something all day but, for me it's hard." Cloud leaned back in his seat like she had done and ran his hand through his hair; he wasn't so sure he wanted to know what was on her mind. She continued, finally meeting his eyes, "I haven't been myself for the past month." She bit her lip and Cloud flinched, it was something she always did when she wasn't sure of what to say next but he knew. He finally knew what was going on. He knew why she was upset; he knew why Tifa was upset.

His wife was getting ready to tell him she wanted a divorce.

Cloud brought his hand up to the collar of his shirt, tugging at it nervously.

"Yeah. . ." he said softly.

After everything they had been through this was the end result? They had saved the planet twice! Three times actually if he counted the whole DeepGround incident! He knew from the start that she was too good for him, but he never voiced it out. Zack and he were almost close to killing each other on their journey to save the planet when the older man found out he was in love with her. Had it really come to this?

She shook her head and stood from her chair, "Actually, is it okay if we leave? I don't really want to be in a crowded place right now," she said. Cloud only stared at her, before nodding and standing, reaching in his back pocket for his wallet only to realize she had just placed the needed amount of Gil on the check. "Ready?" she asked. Stalling he put his wallet slowly in his back pocket and picked up his jacket. No, he wasn't ready; he was never going to be ready to lose her. Anyone who had ever known him would be floored to hear of such thoughts from him but it was the truth. He loved her.

They left the restaurant silently, just walking in the cool night air; her shoulders were bare so she unconsciously hugged herself to keep warm. She was surprised when he lowered his jacket on her shoulders, it wasn't out of character for him but it had still caught her off guard. Sliding her arms through the sleeves she clutched it closer to herself, a small smile curving at the edges of her lips.

There it was.

His scent still lingered on the leather, something she just couldn't describe but knew to be uniquely _him_, just Cloud.

She loved that smell more than anything, even more than the flowers that grew in her church. She loved him. She loved Cloud. She had to tell Cloud now.

"Now or never," she whispered making him turn to her with questioning blue eyes.

She stopped in the middle of the dimly lit sidewalk, her head bowed as she readied herself. Now or never. Aerith looked up at him through the curtain of her bangs and smiled, there was no need to be scared anymore.

"Cloud, I'm—"

"Well, well, look who we got here!"

Her eyes widened and they turned at the same time, she looked to Cloud then back in front of her, his eyes were narrowed dangerously as his hand rested over the small of her back protectively. Reno stood before them, a cheeky smile stretched on his face but he wasn't alone, Rude stood behind him, hands in his pockets and sunglasses on even in the pitch-black night.

"What do you want?" Cloud asked.

Reno threw his head back, laughing.

"Man what a hard ass! I thought we were over this," The red head said smiling; he then nudged Rude, "guy still thinks we're bad!"

"What do you want?" Cloud ground out.

Reno's eyes traveled up and down her body and she held the leather jacket closer to her, glaring at his wandering gaze, "Your gal sure looks nice, must've been fighting off men all night," he commented. She rolled her eyes.

Typical Reno.

"I've had enough of you guys to last a lifetime, get to the point," Cloud said.

Reno twirled his EMR around, resting it on his shoulder he chuckled as he walked forward, "A little birdie told us. . . " He looked directly at Aerith, "someone's expecting."

Aerith's eyes widened and she took a step back, causing Cloud's hand to slip from her back.

"What?" Cloud asked warily, Aerith's hand came up to her mouth suppressing her gasp from escaping.

Reno's smug smile fell and he rolled his eyes, "Blonds. . ." he muttered, his smirk returned as he caught sight of Aerith.

"Why don't we just ask mommy dearest over here?" Cloud followed the red head's gaze until he was met with her bright green eyes, he mouthed the word: mommy questioningly.

Reno raised an eyebrow amusingly, "So . . . she hasn't told you yet?"

Aerith took a deep breath, looking away from the Turk, ". . . I was going to right now." Cloud's eyes narrowed at her and he opened his mouth to speak but no words came out, he wasn't exactly sure if he was hearing all this right.

"How did you find out?" She asked.

"We have our sources," Rude said calmly. If a man like Rude had given her an answer like that, they obviously weren't going to tell her.

"So what do you want?" She asked, her expression stern as she wrapped her arms around her stomach, Reno shrugged.

"Not much, we were just in the neighborhood, decided to stop by for a visit—"

"And?" Aerith cut in sharply.

"And? Why pumpkin, you wouldn't be implying we wanted something from you two now would you?" He said, acting as if she had hurt his feelings, his thin lips forming a pout. She raised a skeptical eyebrow at him.

"What Reno's trying to say," Rude interrupted, stepping between the two, "we were sent to see if it was true."

"Let me get this straight," Cloud said, turning everyone's attention on him, he turned to look at Aerith, "If what I'm hearing is right . . . you're . . . pregnant. Aren't you?" he asked, his eyes hard and his voice equally monotone. Her eyes softened and she stepped towards him taking his hand in her own shakily, she never wanted him to find out like this.

"I wanted to tell you. I really did but . . . I didn't know how you were going to take it. . ." she whispered touching his cheek softly.

Now it all clicked into place, why she had always been so upset, why Tifa yelled at him, **the throwing up**! How could he have not seen it before! It was all so clear!

Reno smirked, "If she's preggers _someone _sure as hell_ took _it!"

Cloud turned to the red head, pointing a gloved finger at him, "Shut the fuck up!" Reno's eyes widened and all trace of emotion left his face, normally he would have jumped at the opportunity to create some sort of uniquely creative line about the "F" word and pregnancy but the look on the ex-SOLDIER's face told him 'try it and die'.

"Cloud. . ." Aerith whispered clutching his hand in her own like a lifeline, brushing off his Cid like outburst, "you're going to be a father," she whispered, "We're going to be parents."

"I think he got the message kitten," Reno said, lightly tapping his weapon against his shoulder, "quite a while ago I might add."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," she said ignoring him, "I was scared of what you would think, I thought . . . I thought you wouldn't want to be with me anymore."

"You're an idiot!" He shouted at her, Reno and Rude's eyes widened at the blond man's words, Aerith jumped back, she had never expected him to react this way. "What the hell would make you think that?" He yelled shaking her by the shoulders, "Did you really think I'd leave you over this?"

Her eyes grew dark, "You saw that tape of my parents Cloud . . . I thought you wouldn't want to go through what they did. . ." she whispered. Cloud glared and shook her by the shoulders again.

"Do you hear yourself right now?" He asked, "In case you haven't noticed, Hojo's dead!"

It was her turn to glare at him, "You're missing the point! . . . They went through so much . . . My father was killed because of me! My mother died trying to keep me safe! What if there are people who still want the Cetra dead? Then what Cloud?" she asked, "I thought you would have been smart enough to figure that out on your own," she said jabbing him in the chest.

"Aerith is right, Cloud," Rude said from where he was standing, "This child could possibly be putting everyone around you at risk."

Cloud turned to both of them, the anger and frustration plainly clear on his features, "Why are you guys still here?" he asked irritably. Reno and Rude looked at each other then back to Cloud.

"We need to talk with you."

Cloud pushed them to the back of his mind and went back to Aerith, "I don't care about others," he said, "I'm your bodyguard, remember?"

She couldn't believe he still remembered. Smiling, she nodded.

"My best friend tried to kill me. Wewere chased by Rufus Shinra for half of the journey until WEAPON got him out of the picture. Tseng cozied up to you while I could only stand by and watch how much you trusted him more than you trusted me. Oh! And here's the best part! Those Sephiroth remnants kidnapped you saying you were their mother! We've both been through so much shit together did you really think I would _leave _because you're going to have _my_ baby?" he asked her sternly.

Aerith looked away, "You don't understand. . ."

"No. You don't understand."

He sighed running a hand through his hair and walking away from her, Reno and Rude watched on as if they were sitting in a theater, caught up in a suspenseful romance. Crossing his arms over his chest, he turned to her, eyes shining with a subtle aching, "I love you." He chuckled bitterly, "I love you so goddamn much," he looked at her catching the eyes of the Turks watching them, he glared, making them back off but not leave. "When you forgot me . . . I was . . . heartbroken," He pulled his hair angrily, "Do you know how cliché I sound right now?" he asked her. Groaning, he rubbed his forehead, "I'm not myself right now."

"Obviously not."

"It's the truth."

"I believe you."

She breathed deeply before she rested her head on his chest, the smell she loved so much invading her senses once more.

No.

It never invaded, it was welcomed, always. She pressed her cheek against his shirt, the heat from his body emanating to her skin. This man, stoic and somber, maybe even cold and reclusive to some, was so much more than what he had led others to believe, beneath his outer exterior he had proved himself to be more, maybe even a romantic.

He was quiet, gentle, loving, awkward, protective, and at times a bit clumsy, all of those feelings and emotions were sides of him few people rarely got to see, yet she saw it all the time. Cloud was . . ._ Cloud_ and she would never change anything about him for the world.

Reno rolled his eyes groaning, this was starting to get romantic . . .

"Speaking of President Shinra," Reno said, cutting into their moment, they both looked at the red head, they had never once mentioned the "born again" Shinra heir. She tensed at Reno's choice of a new topic. He claimed that he had changed his ways since the whole deal with METEOR and Sephiroth, told Cloud himself, he wanted to undo all his wrongs.

But, was it right to trust him after everything he had done to her? His obsession and his threats until WEAPON finally knocked some sense into his head. He tried to kill her, threatened her mother, and haggled her life for her body.

Had he really changed?

She was someone who believed in forgiveness and in second chances, but could she really give him her trust after what he'd done? Sure, he had stalled Kadaj for Cloud a few years back, but her situation with Rufus was far different from his.

Was he done with _her_?

Rude stood before them, hands folded at his front like a gentleman, a stark contrast from his partner who was currently picking his nose with his pinky finger.

"As you know, Mr. Shinra wants to make up for everything he's done to the planet," Rude spoke pushing his sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose, and like Reno had done earlier he stared at her, "and you." Cloud's hand slid from her shoulder to the small of her back, she suddenly became very wary of his words. She bunched up his shirt in her fist nervously. Rude continued, "From this point on, your child is under the protection of the Shinra Company and the Turks."

* * *

Yeah . . . this story has taken a real turn from what I had originally intended it to be . . . I don't know how it got to be like this. I really don't. So for right now it is a high possibility that I won't continue this story. On the other hand this story has taken a pivotal turn and I might continue it, but for right now I'm not exactly sure.

Anyways thanks for reading!


	6. Quod Nos strictas enim part I

Sorry for the long wait but writer's block is a *bleep* ^_^" so yeah. . .for those of you who have hung around this long. . .THANKYOUVERYMUCH! And on another note, I am sorry for the shortness but like I said writer's block sucks.

Somewhere near the end I make a reference to another fic of mine that is Rufus centric about his growing "interest" with Aerith. Cookies for anyone who can figure out which line it is :)

_Italics _mean flashback.

Thank you and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Square does, because they own everything

**EDIT: 7/20/11**

* * *

_She mustered all the energy that she had left into one scream that took all the breath right out of her._

_"STOP!"_

_His teeth dragged along her neck and his hot breath hit her skin in heavy pants. _

_Hands possessed with lust crawled along her body and she gasped. Needy fingertips gripped her hip causing blunt nails to dig into her skin painfully, pulling her roughly against him. _

_She struggled, squirmed, pushed with all her might, but it was no use. His soldiers had made sure of that. His tongue dragged along her collarbone. His hand came up to her forehead__,__ pushing on her until the back of her head was laying against his shoulder to give him more access to the soft__,__ pale skin of her neck as the hand on her hip traveled to her right breast, gripping tightly._

_No one was going to stop him._

_Even she knew that._

_No matter how hard she tried to convince herself she was just having a nightmare._

_There was nothing she could do to save herself._

_He threw her against his desk, his breath rasping as his eyes devoured her. With a sharp intake of air he smoothed his hair back with one hand as the other nearly ripped at the buttons on his shirt. _

_Unwelcome hands tore at her clothing and her eyes widened, she tried to scream but her throat had gone dry. She thrashed against him, trying desperately to get away when he grabbed her by the waist once more, turning her and wedging her between himself and the desk. Black spots danced before her eyes and she felt herself growing feint, but through it all she fought, as hard as she could with all the power she had left. _

_She wasn't going to just give in._

_Not as easily as he wanted her too._

_Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes as he discarded her top and began to tug her pants off her hips._

_She winced when he pressed her even harder onto the surface of the desk; fingertips traveled along the smooth skin of her back__,__ then trailed the curve of her hip to brush the last piece of clothing that separated them._

_The tears finally leaked free from her eyes and the black spots grew larger as the sound of the zipper to his pants being undone sounded in her ears._

* * *

The halls echoed around her as she walked, it was strange really, to be where she stood without being chased down or thrown into the nearest prison cell.

It felt. . .strange.

So out of place from the experiences she had with these people and these buildings.

Aerith passed by a mirrored wall and stopped in her tracks, backing up a little she stood up straight and placed a hand on her belly. The "slightest, tell tale" bump she had grown accustomed to had grown seemingly overnight. Maybe it was just an exaggeration but as her eyes scanned her reflection she finally felt it.

It was as if the reality of her situation had been thrown right back at her.

The shock and fear she had felt at first had begun to dissipate over time, she had accepted it, accepted herself, and she had truly started to feel happy.

With a sigh she tore her eyes away from the mirrored wall and continued onwards.

Now...

She was terrified.

All her fears had returned as soon as she made the decision to tell her husband, which only grew a hundredfold when Rude spoke the words that turned her blood cold, and made it boil all at once.

_**"From this point on, your child is under the protection of the Shinra Company and the Turks." **_

Her footsteps became her only companion down the narrow hall, and with each step she took, her hands clenched even tighter.

Her own nails dug into her skin almost to the point of drawing blood.

She may have been scared but there was another emotion she felt that left her fear for dead.

She was going to deal with it right now.

Aerith stopped before a thick metal door, her pulse quickening the longer she stood. She was actually here; she was actually going to do this. She was going to face one of the biggest obstacles in her life that haunted her even to this day.

With a deep breath she closed her eyes, trying to calm the erratic beating of her heart, she imagined her life, and all the good memories she had.

Putting her hand gently on her belly, she smiled, and she imagined all the good times to come. Opening her eyes her unsure expression turned to one of determination and she pushed the door open.

"And furthermore—"

Rufus looked up from his papers and smiled softly, "Ms. Gainsborough."

Aerith's eyes grew dark and her hands clenched even tighter at her sides.

Rufus made a movement from behind his desk like he was about to stand—but—instead rolled outwards in a wheelchair. He no longer wore the white cloak she had last seen him in, but he was still confined to his chair.

"We'll conclude this tomorrow," Aerith looked up to be met with Tseng's curious coal colored eyes and she smiled at her friend. Tseng turned back to Rufus and nodded.

"Yes sir."

With a bow he walked away from Rufus and came towards her, his eyes were trained in front of him the whole time but when he passed by her she could see from the corner of her eye that he was watching her. The door was closed, signaling Tseng's exit and immediately her expression turned sour. She opened her mouth to speak but he beat her to it.

"What brings you here today Ms. Gainsborough?" Rufus said leaning back in his chair, a soft smile adorning his features, "I don't mind at all, but it was quite unexpected."

"Let's get things straight here," she said raising her hands in front of her, "One, you know _exactly _why I'm here and two, that's not my name anymore."

Rufus' smile fell and he gave her a 'can you repeat that?' look, she sighed, "It's no longer Gainsborough."

Rufus raised an eyebrow at her, "I don't understand," he shrugged, "I assumed since you're not married you were still going by your stepmother's name." Her mouth fell open at his statement.

"Who said I wasn't married?" she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, "Never mind about that, "she crossed her arms over her chest, "just what are you planning?"

"Pardon?"

"What is having me watched going to accomplish?"

Rufus' face became expressionless at her words; he drummed his fingers on the arm rest of his wheelchair, "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Yes. Nothing."

He maneuvered the wheelchair to turn and moved it forward to look out the window; the sunlight poured in and hit the glass just right to create rainbow swirls anywhere the reflection bounced off. After Cloud had last fought Sephiroth it seemed that not only did everyone's geostigma lift away, but so too did the clouds that had stained the sky ever since the city had been built.

Rufus just stared out at the bright blue sky and his head bowed once again, "Absolutely nothing. I'm sure there is nothing I could do to atone for what I've put you through."

She looked to the floor as something in her memory was triggered.

_**"As you know, Mr. Shinra wants to make up for everything he's done to this planet, and you." **_

"Rude said that," she whispered.

Rufus smiled even though his back was to her, "Did he now?"

She was pulled back into reality at his words.

Rufus looked over his shoulder at her, "I was wrong, looking back, I'm surprised my father never once tried to kill me before Sephiroth got to him." He rolled towards her, "I tried to hurt you and your loved ones so many times before, the least I could do is protect you now."

Aerith watched her boots, not entirely sure what else to say, "I can't bring myself to believe you."

"I'm a changed man," Rufus said, "and you are my main concern right now." His eyes traveled to her swollen stomach but she barely acknowledged it, too shocked by his sudden need for her safety.

Her eyes widened, "What?"

"I told you."

"But!"

Rufus' face became stern, "I'm protecting you Aerith, whether you want me too or not."

She suddenly became angry, "Oh yeah, because you're definitely good at forcing others to do something they don't want to!"

Rufus' eyes widened and he looked down, ". . ."

Her vision became blurry and she felt tears start to form in her eyes; his hands gripped the arm rest tightly.

". . . I—" he swallowed, "I'm sorry."

She shook her head, "You were right."

Rufus looked up at her, and she laughed bitterly, "There's nothing you could ever do to make it up to me."

She turned and moved to open the door when he grabbed her wrist; she glared at him and tried to pry his fingers off, when she realized something.

She wasn't able to do it all those years ago. What made her think she would be strong enough to do it now?

"I know sorry isn't good enough, but I'm doing all I can for this planet," His eyes burned into hers, "and someday, somehow, there will come a time when you will need me. Please, let me do my job." He released her wrist and she yanked her arm back, then without another word she left. The door closing shut slowly behind her and leaving him alone in his office with a sweet flowery scent hanging in the air.

Rufus' eyes widened, he had never smelt it until she had left. He raised a shaky hand to his nose and scratched the bridge lightly; pulling his hand away he stared at the tips of his fingers as if they didn't belong to him.

They still burned from when he had touched her.

* * *

_Tseng straightened his jacket and sighed deeply._

_Raising his hand he knocked on the president's door lightly._

_"President Shinra?"_

_There was no answer._

_Tseng's brows furrowed and he knocked a little harder, the echo of his fist against the steel door bouncing off the walls, "President Shinra, sir?"_

_No answer._

_Tseng's teeth clenched and he pounded even harder on the door, he didn't have time for the president's uncaring attitude._

_He needed to know where she was. _

_He needed to know if she was safe._

_"Sir I need to talk to you about Aer-"_

_Tseng's sentence was cut short when he opened the door, uncontrollable sobbing ringing in his ears. His eyes widened and he threw the door open all the way, running to the far corner of the president's office, the crying didn't belong to a man, and even if it did it would never have been president Shinra, which only meant. . ._

_Tseng's eyes softened as he found her behind the desk, ". . .Aerith. . ."_

_Her head shot up and she suddenly held herself tightly with one arm, her right wrist was hand cuffed to the leg of the desk._

_Her knees were drawn to her chest and her head bent to press her forehead against her knees, she sobbed even more holding herself tighter and clenching her eyes shut even though hot tears were escaping with ease._

_Her arms were covered in large black bruises and from where he stood he could see a thin trail of dried blood trickling from her swollen lips. She wiped at her eyes and with the swift movement of her arm he saw the destroyed buttons on her top, the first one barely hanging by a thread and leaving the folds of her 'once dress' to hang open._

_Shining tears slid down her cheeks even faster as realization struck him like lightning, dropping into the pit of his stomach and burning a gaping hole within him._

_Tseng kneeled down before her and gathered her up in his arms even though she sobbed even harder, squirming to free herself, kicking and punching him weakly, he still held her._

_He wasn't going to let her go._

_Never again._

_Her actions began to slow and she started to shake, trembling like a leaf on a breezy autumn day. _

_She sniffled lightly and slowly her left arm came to wrap around him as well as her tears slowly started to come to a stop._

_Tseng held her tighter, trying to be as gentle as possible__,__ and he sighed, his hands threading through her hair soothingly._

_How long?_

_How long had he wished he could hold her like this?_

_How long?_

_His eyes closed partially._

_He just wished it didn't have to be under these conditions. . ._

_Rufus. . .he went too far. . ._

_Tseng's eyes closed and he held her even tighter._

_He was never going to forgive Rufus for what he'd done._


	7. Quod Nos strictas enim part II

Here's part two! And again, my apologies for the shortness. Thank you to all who have read and left reviews, they're what's really keeping this story alive, like I stated in a earlier chapter, this story has taken such a completely different turn than from what I originally intended it to be. And I realized that I haven't been responding to reviews in a couple of chapters (whoops!)

One Sky-One Dream-One Destiny: Thank you very much! I hope you like this one!

myloveispurity8: A lifetime? Uhh wow. . .I'm flattered, thank you very much. And it really depends on responses whether this story lives, I have so many other things to do I need to make sure I'm not wasting my time with it. Thank you so much.

Imashitowareto: What do you mean? If it's a flashback from Aerith's pov then, yes, it did happen to her, ONLY in my story, not in the actual game, if that's what you're asking, hope I cleared it up for you ^^

Rainbow Wind: Maybe, maybe not, we'll see in this chapter won't we? ;D

Dea Lux: You commented on chapter one but I wanted to respond anyway, CLOUD AND AERITH = LOVE! Your words were very kind, thank you! I'll definitely read and review your first story. I'll be on the lookout 'kay? Oh and welcome!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything SQUARE owns all!

Enjoy!

**EDIT: 7/20/11**

* * *

_She can't hear him in the darkness._

_She can't see him in the darkness._

_But she can _feel_ him in the darkness._

_A shiver runs down her spine, and her breath comes out in quick, hushed gasps as her eyes close. Large hands rest on her shoulders and she collapses against him, forehead pressing against his warm skin and arms wrapping around his waist as tears escape freely from her eyes. _

_Muscled arms encircle her while her silent tears fall, holding her close. She looks up slowly and her face is cast in silver moonlight, painting her skin a lambent, milky white. Leisurely, as if she fears he'll shatter with a single touch, she touches his cheek, tracing his set features. _

"_I'm sorry," she whispers, a shake in her voice, "I'm sorry."_

_His hand reaches out to her, being engulfed in the same light she is and rests on her own cheek, pressing a calloused palm to her skin. She shivers and her lips tremble. Her mouth opens, apt to speak but she stops, thinking over everything that's happened, wondering if it'll be enough. _

_Then she says it._

"_I love you."_

* * *

Aerith's eyes shot open and she sat up briskly.

The phone was ringing loudly. Agitating. She ran a hand through her hair, brushing her bangs away from her eyes and sighed, reaching over to the nightstand and removing the phone from the charger, "Strife Delivery Service, you name—"

"Aerith!"

She pulled the phone back from her ear and cringed. It was Cloud. " . . .Yeah?"

"How long have you been at the house?" His voice was frantic and she frowned.

"Well . . ."

"Hold on, I'm coming home."

"Cloud, I . . ."

"Save it."

Her eyes widened at the edge in his voice and her mouth fell open as the dial tone sounded in her ear, repeating itself over and over again. She doesn't know how long it is, whether its five minutes or an hour, before she sets it back down. Leaning back, she rests her head on the headboard, staring up at the white ceiling and letting her thoughts take over. Was he really that mad? Did her going out really upset him that much?

Shaking her head she sighed and turned her head to the nightstand, gazing at the picture beside the phone. It wasn't old, but it wasn't new either. Her eyes traveled to the spiky haired blond and she bit her lip, Denzel stood beside him, smiling brightly. A soft smile crossed her face at the small boy _and_ herself, kneeling beside him with her hands on his shoulders and a bright smile to match his own.

Tilting her head to the side, she focuses on the little boy and puts a hand on her belly, " . . . what would Denzel think?" she asks herself. He and Marlene had been with her mom for the past few months while Barret, Cloud, and her were with the WRO.

She hadn't breathed a word of her situation to anyone yet, not even her mother.

Elmyra disapproved of Cloud already.

If her mom found out he had gotten her pregnant, she'd come after him with a chainsaw and a hockey mask. Then she'd come after her, drag her away by the ear, and demand that she start living with her again.

She could see it already.

No one knew of the baby besides for Cloud, Reno, Rude, and Rufus . . . and the one who had informed the Turks.

What would her mom think? Would she be disappointed with her?

What would her friends think? Would things be the same around them now that Cloud and her were going to have a child?

What would the children think? Would they like the idea of a little niece or nephew? Would they hate the idea? Would they be upset?

Rubbing her palms over her swollen stomach she looked away from the picture.

Was the world ready for another Cetra?

No, that wasn't right.

Was the world ready for a quarter-Cetra?

Her mother was a full one and her father was human, she was half and Cloud was human, but then again, he had been experimented on when he was a teenager. She wasn't saying the experiments had made him Cetra, no form of science could do that, **but**, he did have Jenova cells injected into his bloodstream.

Where they still there?

He had gotten stronger over the past years, she knew, she had seen him change, watched him grow and be his own person, but if they were still there, would that affect the baby in any way?

Aerith shook her head furiously. She was beginning to ramble on in her own head. As if to say "you were right" a sudden thought entered her mind, something from a while ago, maybe a year or two, yeah, that sounded about right. It was when she had been running, trying to avoid her friends and loved ones, she recalled Reno, grinning as he stretched out on a couch in the Seventh Heaven, talking to Rude . . .

"_Cloud and Aerith, huh?"_

_He put his hands behind his head while he watched Rude, "Never would have guessed. After all, he __**was**__ trying to get in her pants every time we ran into them."_

_Rude smacked Reno across the forehead__,__ making him sit up quickly and rub the red spot, "Hey!"_

_Reno smiled sheepishly and laid back down, " . . . Cloud and Aerith . . ." he whispered again, absorbing it. Shaking his head he turned to Rude, sitting up, "I'll tell you one thing, that ain't gonna be an ugly kid."_

The door to their bedroom opened, and she was thrown out of her reverie when Cloud walked in. His hair was swept back, telling her he had been speeding, and his usual expressionless face was twisted into a cross between anger and relief, she couldn't tell, she saw and felt a little bit of both. She sat up, staring at him.

"Cloud?"

"What were you thinking?"

Aerith blinked, just watching him from across the room, as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

Cloud stepped towards her, light blond eyebrows furrowed, "What were you thinking?" He repeated. She said nothing. "Aerith." She turned away from him, planet, she hated that tone of voice. It made her feel as if she had done something _wrong_. He sighed and sat down on the bed beside her, resting an ebony gloved hand on her thigh, "Aerith?" He whispered softly.

She didn't look back at him, too afraid to look into his eyes, she didn't want to see the disappointment.

" . . ."

His hand squeezed her gently, wanting her to go on.

Taking a chance she looked into his eyes and felt her heart skip a beat, there was no disappointment or shame, she saw concern.

" . . . I . . ."

She watched his hand as it traveled up her leg to rest on her belly, and she knew, he wasn't going to like what she was about to say.

"I went to see Rufus."

His hand went flat on her stomach. She could feel it go tense through her clothing and the leather glove. He looked at her, his face and his eyes blank.

At that moment she wished her Cetra abilities could allow her to read minds. She couldn't feel his emotions, and she couldn't read them on his expression.

Wait.

Her Cetra abilities?

The planet, it hadn't spoken to her in a while.

"Going in the middle of the night," when he spoke she watched him intently, he paused, looking her straight in the eyes, "and coming back in the morning?" A bitter smile crossed his face, "A little adventurous for a pregnant woman."

She looked at the hand on her belly, "Cloud, I had to."

"Did you?"

Aerith gave him an incredulous look, "Yes, I had to. This is our child, Cloud. And. . ." her words were forced as she swallowed hard, "you know what he did to me."

Cloud's hand tensed even more.

"I don't want our baby to be exposed to someone like him," she whispered, "He helped us during the Geostigma outbreak, and to that I'm grateful, but that is all the kindness I could give him. I'm not going to blindly put my trust in him, not for myself, and definitely not for my child."


	8. Touch

Hi everyone! I'm finally back with the next chapter! It's been a while and my life has just been hectic so (like in all my other chapters ^^") I'm sorry it's so late. Finals have been driving me nuts! All I hope is that everyone enjoys this chapter because I sure know I enjoyed writing it!

Reviews:

Captain Arbitary:. . .oh. My. God. Really? From Cloti to Clerith? Wow. Thank you for your kind words and I hope you like this chapter too.

One Sky-One Dream-One Destiny: Confused? Ok I guess, hope you like this one.

Imashitowareto: Glad I cleared it up ^^

myloveispurity8: You really do make me blush, thank you so much. It's a shame though, I really love this story but the combination of not knowing how to continue it and life can clash and get the best of me sometimes.

Dea Lux: Don't we all around Cloud? XD

Animefan111: I really wish I could continue but that's still up for debate. Thank you so much, you don't know how relieved I feel after reading your review, it's always a struggle for me to write Cloud in character because of his stoic and somber demeanor and often times I worry that I write him OOC. I just don't like stories where he's OOC so you don't know how glad I am someone thinks I did a good job with him.

Disclaimer: FFVII and all its characters do not belong to me; they belong to the good people at SQUARE-ENIX.

Enjoy!

**EDIT: 7/20/11**

* * *

Reeve softly blew the steam away from his coffee as his eyes scanned the monstrous stack of papers on his desk.

No wonder there weren't others competing for his job.

Setting the mug down on the wooden surface, he looked away, and let his hand wander, _"Ennie, Mennie, Mynnie, Mo. . ."_

Grasping the last paper he touched, he looked left, then right, searching for anyone who might have seen such a childish act. The halls were empty, with no one to be seen. Satisfied with his surroundings, he raised the paper off the stack and stared at it blankly, it was an envelope. Raising an eyebrow, he slowly tore it open, nobody sent letters anymore. With all their world's technological advances, handwritten letters were something hardly ever seen, dropping his eyes to the paper inside he unfolded it and began to read, raising his mug to his lips. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the words, the third degree burn on his tongue ignored as the message registered in his mind. His cheeks started to fill with the steaming liquid, like a chipmunk storing its food, the action of swallowing being completely forgotten.

His eyes widened, the pain finally hitting him full force, and he spit the burning coffee, turning it into a misty tan spray, his senses flooding back to him all at once. Placing the mug back down on the table he reread the letter. Shaking his head, he folded the paper back up and placed it in his breast pocket.

His hand made its way to the phone on the edge of his desk and dialed a number, the dial tone rang for a few short seconds before someone picked up, Reeve stood up straight before he spoke, "I'll be leaving for a short while, inform Vincent and Shelke we'll have to meet up at a later date." He listened to the other end as his assistant typed quickly on her computer and confirmed the meeting move, assuring him she would contact Mr. Valentine. Placing the phone back on the receiver, he walked out of his office and closed the door softly behind him.

* * *

Cloud crossed his arms over his chest at what he saw, but he wasn't annoyed or upset, merely intrigued.

As the days went by, Aerith was beginning to grow weaker bit by bit, spending half the day in bed even after waking, and wincing every now and then from abdominal pains. He was starting to become worried. He was an only child, he didn't know what a woman was supposed to go through in a normal pregnancy and even _growing up_ in Nibelheim didn't help much. When he was small, all the children in his hometown were exactly the same age or at least in the same age group, no one could remember so and so going through . . . or that couple experiencing . . . except for the adults. Even when they had returned to the small village, there were no kids in sight, time had done its work. Everyone had grown up.

Right now, when he wished for nothing more than to understand how things were supposed to go, he watched her chest rise and fall evenly as she slept. Seemingly boundless chocolate hair fanned out, and draped over her shapely curves, and her lips, a color so beautiful he couldn't find the words to describe them, parted. She was beautiful. Oh so beautiful. Even with the size of their baby becoming more . . .conspicuous.

Their baby.

_Their_ **baby**?

He tilted his head, but never stopped observing her. His eyes unconsciously fell to the ample swell of her tummy, and again, the thought crossed his mind. Their _baby_.

How long had he waited for this?

Pushing himself quietly off the doorframe, so not to disturb her, he walked forward. The mattress dipped just the slightest when he sat beside her, but not so much to wake her, her lips parted like she was going to speak, but instead, a soft moan escaped. A small smile crept its way to the corners of his mouth, but disappeared as soon as it had appeared, his attention was caught by the frame she clutched close to her heart. Brows furrowing, he slowly reached for it, sliding it out of her hands with ease and into his own gloved ones. The picture inside made his heart drop and his fingers clench the wood and glass that protected it.

It was Aerith, when she was younger, but, Zack was there too, pressing his forehead to her cheek as they both laughed . . . before she ever met him. Unease sent a cold, bitter chill through his body, reminding him all too much of the days when Geostigma had been a worldwide epidemic. Reminding him, of the time they had spent together, locked in Marlene's room in the Seventh Heaven, screaming at each other. Yelling, bickering, shouting, _him_ grabbing her by the shoulders, forcing her up against the wall and demanding she get over Zack before it killed her. _Her_, with angry tears in her eyes, telling him it was her fault he died, carrying the blame on her shoulders and running from him every chance she got. . . _him_. . .truly believing she. . .was still in love with Zack.

Cloud set the frame down on the nightstand, face expressionless. He thought he'd gotten over his jealousy of the love she still had for her departed ex-boyfriend . . . _his_ departed best friend. Apparently he was wrong, though it wasn't as potent as before. 'A part of her', she said, 'would still always care for him'. Back then the very thought of her, traveling the world alone, seeking a chance at forgiveness from a dead man she once loved, while searching for a cure to the cruel disease that had taken so many lives, angered him more than anything.

Now though, things were different.

He loved her. Fully, completely, utterly, he wasn't ashamed to admit it. Looking over his shoulder at her now, sleeping peacefully with a hand resting protectively above her midsection and her wedding necklace lying against the curve of her breast, he knew. Ever since that day in the church, when they cured her Geostigma and Denzel's, her restrictions were gone, she was free. Free to smile, free to laugh, and free to live her life without the guilt. She had never given him a reason once, to doubt her love ever since that day.

Reaching over, he grasped the picture once more and stared at it, finally understanding what it was that had held her back for so long.

A small smile crossed his face.

". . .She just wishes you could be here with us," he whispered.

She cared for Zack. There was nothing he could do to change that.

But, turning he gazed at her once more, she loved _him_. She was as much in love with him as he was with her, and he knew, no matter how many years went by, there was nothing he could do to change that, even if he wanted too. Leaning down he pressed his lips softly to her cheek as his hand rested beside her own on top of her middle, she loved him, and he loved her, there was nothing _anyone_ could do to change that.

Something thumped against his palm.

* * *

Barret smacked himself in the face.

Not literally, but mentally.

He couldn't believe he'd never noticed before!

"''Ey!"

Everyone looked up at him, and he looked left and right, crossing his arms over his chest, he continued, "Am I the only one who's noticed Spiky and Aerith haven't shown up for the past coup'la weeks?"

The room fell quiet, the only sound being Cid's tea cup hitting the table. Said blond cursed loudly at the mess and wiped at his shirt, grumbling, "Fucking tea!" Tifa froze in her spot, hand suspended in midair to reach for a glass, mouth falling open at his statement. Yuffie scratched the back of her head nervously, everyone else seeming to follow suit in uncomfortable shifting. Barret's eyes narrowed and he sighed, "I'll take that as a yes."

"Now that you mention it . . ." everyone said at once, with the exception of Vincent, who wasn't there.

Yuffie spun around on her bar stool, stopping it to face Barret, "The last time I saw Aerith was before she went out with Cloud on his birthday." Tifa's hand came to fall at her side and she gasped.

"That was already so long ago!"

Nanaki sat up from his spot on the floor, "Their week off is well over ended."

Everyone looked down at once, well, everyone besides for Cid, who was leaning back in his chair, drinking the remnants of his tea. With a sigh, Barret turned to Tifa, "Teef, can I use your phone?" Her dark eyes snapped up to his, and she nodded hurriedly, going back to her work.

"Over there," she said pointing to the far end of the counter, Barret nodded, stepping towards it, and removing it from the receiver. She wiped down one of the glasses as he punched in the numbers, watching him from the corner of her eyes a little worriedly. 'He's not going to call them is he?' She thought to herself. Bringing the phone to his ear he leaned against the wall, and tapped his boot to what she could only guess was the dial tone, before he stood up straight.

"Elmyra?" He said into the phone and she almost dropped the glass, "Hey, it's me, Barret." He was silent as he listened to Aerith's mother on the other end of the line. He smiled, "How you been doing?". Pause. "That's great," He chuckled as Tifa watched him cautiously, "hey, you wouldn't happen to know if Aerith has the kids would you?" Everyone turned around and waited, wondering if that was the reason they hadn't seen or heard from the brooding blond and the cheery flower girl. Barret's expression never changed as he listened to the older woman, "Oh, okay," he tilted his head as she continued and he nodded, "right." Tifa set the glass down, trying to piece together his end of the conversation, when he smiled, "Aw'right, I'll let you go now. Tell the kids I said hi. Bye." Yuffie turned to Barret immediately, curiosity piqued.

"So? What happened?"

Barret scratched the back of his head, "The kids are with Elmyra. Says she hasn't heard from Aerith in a while."

"What about Cloud?"

Barret laughed, "You really think she'd care where Cloud is?"

"You got a point," Yuffie said leaning back against the counter, "Wonder where they could be." Barret sat down in front of Tifa silently as the young ninja went on and on about all the possibilities. Tifa smiled at her and went back to cleaning the glasses, letting her mind wander. Of course when it did, she instantly wished it hadn't. She thought about that night on the SHERA, when she found Aerith's box of. . .tests. Had she been wrong to doubt her assumption? What other reason would the woman who was almost always with her friends have for vanishing into thin air?

* * *

Elmyra set the phone down on the charger, and frowned. She'd been so busy taking care of the children, she hadn't even realized her own daughter hadn't called her in a while. The door burst open, and Marlene and Denzel came rushing in, laughing happily as they chased each other around the room, Elmyra smiled at them and went back to preparing lunch, "Alright you two settle down, the food's almost done." They both stopped in their tracks but the happiness never left their faces, calming down a bit, they walked toward the kitchen table and sat down, Elmyra looked over her shoulder at Marlene, then back to her work, "You know, your father called." Marlene looked up at Denzel and he stared back, equally surprised.

The little girl turned around in her chair and stared at the older woman, "Does that mean we can go back to Edge?" They both loved Elmyra, they really did, but they missed everybody back in Edge. They missed Barret, Tifa, Cloud, and Aerith, Marlene unconsciously watched Denzel as he waited for Elmyra's reply. He especially missed Cloud and Aerith. She could only imagine what he was feeling after being apart from them for so long, the three had gone through so much together, they were like a family.

Elmyra didn't turn around, too focused on her work, "He didn't say." Denzel sighed and leaned on the table, while Marlene slumped back in her chair. It hurt Elmyra to see them like this but she had no other choice, her daughter and Marlene's father were involved in a dangerous clean-up job after the whole DeepGround attack, so she had no choice but to keep them in a safe environment. Opening the cupboards, she withdrew three plates and set them down on the counter, before she could even think, words were spilling out of her mouth, "But he never said you couldn't." Both their eyes widened at the same time, and instantly the air in the room became lighter.

"Really?" Denzel asked, a little skeptically. Elmyra stopped what she was doing and met the young boy's eyes, a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and she slowly nodded.

"Yes!" Marlene shouted, and the two children high fived each other from across the table.

Elmyra smiled as an idea came to her, walking to the table with their plates in hand she spoke, "We'll go right after you're done." Setting the plates down in front of them the children's large smiles fell, they had sandwiches, sure, BUT, right on the side of both their sandwiches was a large heaping mass of a different assortment of vegetables. At the same time they looked up at her and she smiled at both of them, "And I do mean _everything_."

Oh, Aerith used to **hate** when she did that.


	9. The Dream

I'M BAAAAAAACK!

Again, I'd like to apologize for the horrendous wait time for this update, I've been suffering through a horrible writer's block, but now, I have an idea of where I want this story to go, so hopefully it wouldn't have to be that long for the next update. I'd also like to say thank you to all my reviewers, you guys really are the best, and thank you for putting up with me and my three and a half month long writer blocks. I was a little sad with the amount of reviews I got on the last chapter, none of my regular reviewers left any feedback *SOB* Now that school has started once more, reviews are REALLY going to make the difference on whether this fic lives or not. Most of my time, unfortunately, is going to be spent (wasted) on school and school work *SOBS* I hope you all enjoy this one, and hopefully, the next update won't take too long.

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII, it belongs to SQUARE-ENIX, all hail SQUARE-ENIX!

Enjoy!

* * *

The air was hot.

Scorching, burning, but as much as he wished it was just the weather their small town never got, there was no denying the red sky and blazing orange flames that licked at the buildings. People screamed, houses fell; the well was on the verge of collapsing. Beneath his clothes sweat slid down his skin in oily rivulets, his helmet felt like an oven, and his exposed skin practically boiled.

Sephiroth.

The great hero, Sephiroth.

Sephiroth did this.

He ran, and ran, and ran, finding his way through burning rubble, choking on smoke, holding back the tears that threatened to fall as he remembered the sleepy little village he grew up in. Remembering the happy faces, the quiet hustle and bustle about the streets, remembering Nibelheim, as it had been only this morning.

The ones who had managed to escape the flames swarmed around him, creating an unstoppable tide that he had to fight through. In the midst of destruction, only one thing was on his mind, only one thing was important.

Throughout the sea of people he was able to pick out faces and names, kids he grew up with, neighbors he'd known his whole life, teachers he learned from. Desperately he scanned every face, listened to every voice, and prayed _she_ got out safely. Pushing his way through the crowd, he ran towards the houses that circled the well, shouts being muffled by the people's screams and the quick, clomping footsteps that drowned out his every word. The dirt streets were completely empty now. He could faintly hear the shouts that were directed at him, 'What are you doing?', 'Can't you see the fire?', 'Save yourself!', but he didn't listen.

He couldn't listen.

He approached the second house, turning the knob as fast as he could and pushing to get the door open. It wouldn't budge. He tried again, and he didn't care that the metal was burning him even through the gloves he wore, he needed to get in the house. Letting go he threw himself against the door and it fell open, splinters and embers flying into his face.

Everything was burning.

"Mom?" He shouted. Climbing over the sizzling door, he screamed, "MOM?" He panted, searching the room for any sign of her. "Mom . . .!" He shouted once more, his emotion clogged cry for the woman who brought him into this world ending in a heart-wrenching wail. "Mrs. Strife?" He tried, hopping she'd answer to that.

Silence.

Painful, silence.

He coughed, warding off black smoke with a wave of his hand as he ran through the maze of burning and broken furniture.

"MOM?"

'_Its okay, she got out safely, she's with the others_,' his mind kept whispering to him, assuring him everything would be fine, '_in a little while you'll see her, safe and sound_.'

He was beyond sweating as he ran further into the flames, his brain must have been frying in his skull. With an angry growl, he ripped his helmet off and threw it at what used to be the china cabinet. From the force of the blow it collapsed into pieces, the sound of snapping wood and shattering glass accompanying that of the crackling fire.

Then he saw her.

His eyes widened and he took a step back. Her orange dress was black from the ashes, her hair was fried, her skin was . . .

He looked away, terrified by the sight before him. Tears stung his eyes as the realization struck him. The cold, horrible truth.

His mother was dead.

Burned alive in the very house she grew up in, in the very house she had a family in, in the very house she raised him in.

She was dead.

And it was all because he couldn't get to her in time.

He opened his eyes, clouded and blurry. His fists clenched, "No!" His knees trembled and he fell, burying his face in his hands, "NO!"

'_**Its all your fault**_**.'**

He opened his eyes, tears staining his cheeks and looked up at the sound of the voice.

'_**You couldn't save her**_**.'**

He looked around the burning house, searching for the owner of the voice, but knowing already who it was. A face smiled at him in a shattered mirror and his blood ran cold. Sephiroth smirked, jade eyes locked on his sky blues, and then he disappeared.

He turned around, instantly expecting the silver haired general who had caused all this madness to appear behind him, blade drawn, but there was nothing, nothing but the flames that surrounded him. Shivers ran down his spine and he brought his gaze back in front of him, to where his mother's body lay.

And what he saw was far worse than he ever could have imagined.

A young woman was sprawled on the floor in place of his mother. Green eyes half open, staring out into nothingness, lips parted, hair fanning around her body. She was murdered exactly like his mother, burned to death. Dried blood stained her charred dress, spilling from a horrible wound in the small of her back to pool and mingle with the blood that spilled from the other end of the wound at her front, through her stomach. Through her stretched skin and large tummy . . . through her baby.

His baby.

_Their_ baby.

His mouth fell open, and his heart burst in his chest. And again, the voice returned.

'_**She died because of you, Cloud.**_**'**

* * *

"NOOOO!" He shouted, his eyes shooting open, as he flailed and jerked.

Aerith jumped from her spot beside him, her own eyes flying open at his scream. As quickly as she could she rolled over to lay on her right side, pushing herself up so she could lean on her elbow and look down at Cloud. She pressed her hands to each side of his face, trying to calm him as best as she could.

"Cloud! Cloud! Honey, look at me!" she said, her palms holding his head firmly and turning him to face her. She could barely make out his eyes in the dark, wide with fear and worry. His skin was slippery with sweat, and he was breathing hard, panting. Her left hand ran up his cheek and the side of his face tenderly, traveling up further to comb her fingers through his wet, tangled hair, doing everything she could to soothe him. "What happened?" She whispered.

In all the years she'd known him, dreams never had such an effect on him.

His chest rose and fell violently beneath her as he took in quick, shuddering breaths.

His eyes darted about the dark room. Cold, almost freezing. Not burning and hot. Even in the dark he could see the dressers against the walls, the pictures that were scattered about, his sword propped up in its scabbard, his wife staring down at him, looking confused, and worried, and scared. He felt her warm hands on his cheeks, the pillow beneath his head, the comforters draping over his muscular build, and the soft mattress they laid on.

He was home, in the chilly city of Edge, not in the fiery remains of Nibelheim.

His breathing slowed as he stared at Aerith. Sweet, beautiful Aerith. His wife. His _living_, _breathing_ wife. His eyes unconsciously fell to her middle, staring at the ever-growing swell of her tummy, untouched, unharmed, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

His hand grabbed the hand on his cheek and pressed it closer to him. "Cloud, please . . ." She whispered. He opened his eyes, heart thumping against his ribcage, and grabbed her by the shoulders, springing forth a gasp from her lips, before pulling her down to him, and crushing her against his chest. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her close, pressing his face to her hair and breathing in her scent. For the time, she did nothing, just allowed him to find comfort in whatever he needed from her, trying to make things right.

"I need you."

She looked up at him when he spoke, quietly waiting for him to say anything else he needed to before she asked. He started to tremble under her and her heart ached. "God . . . I can't . . . I can't lose you," he whispered brokenly, He started to run his fingers through her hair, "I can't lose you, and I can't lose the baby." For a moment, she thought he was going to cry, and just the thought alone made her fearful, what could he have dreamed about that could hurt him so? The hand that lay on his chest traced his scar carefully, thinking, '_Maybe . . ._ _just maybe_', pushing the thought aside, she held him tighter.

"Shh . . .," She whispered, stroking the hair at the base of his neck, "We're not going anywhere. There's nothing to worry about." She smiled softly, hoping to reassure him, she pressed her forehead to his, "_We_ love you, Cloud," she whispered.

She wasn't going to ask him about his dream, not while he was still so shaken up, but she wasn't going to let it go either. He closed his eyes but he didn't let himself fall asleep, he didn't want to experience what he'd seen all over again. What son/husband/father would?

He opened his eyes just the slightest. Father? 'What father would?' Closing them shut once more he held her closer as her ministrations began to slow, and then she was asleep.

* * *

Reeve didn't know what he was doing at all.

He looked over the letter once more and realized . . . he had no idea where Cloud lived. Whenever the members of AVALANCHE met up, they always gathered at the Seventh Heaven. He couldn't believe it, four years and he'd never once been to Cloud (and Aerith's) home!

Apparently, he wasn't as good a friend as he'd thought.

Hiding the paper away in his pocket, he straightened his clothes and entered the bar, mission clear when he realized something else, no one was there.

"Sorry, we're not open today." He heard a woman call from the back. She emerged from the staircase and was about to repeat herself when she saw Reeve standing in the center of the room. "Oh!" She walked over to him and a look of worry crossed her face, "Is something wrong?"

"Did you really think I only came to be the barer of bad news?" He asked incredulously. Tifa placed her hands on her hips, smirking.

"Let me see, what "news", pray tell, did you come to deliver the last time you stopped by for a visit?"

Reeve's face drained of all seriousness and he looked to his left, ". . .The DeepGround invasion."

"I thought so." Tifa teased, "Can I get you something to drink?" She asked stepping towards the bar.

Shaking his head, Reeve spoke as he examined a picture on the wall that he'd never seen before, "None for me, thank you," It was a picture of the new AVALANCHE, which meant he and Shelke were now present beside the original group. Next to that picture was the first group picture of AVALANCHE, with the young SOLDIER Zack Fair present as well. "I actually stopped by to ask you something."

Tifa raised a brow, taking a seat on one of the bar stools, "Sure, what is it?"

Reeve blushed as he thought out his next words, "I already feel incredibly silly about this, but, perhaps you know."

Tifa tilted her head, shrugging, "I might."

"Do you know where Aerith lives?"

Tifa's eyes widened and she smiled. He was right, as opposed to feeling silly, he looked silly. "Yeah, I know, but why are you finding this out just now?"

Reeve did as she had, shrugging his shoulders as a response, "It seems I thought everyone lived here with you."

* * *

Elmyra looked out the window of the cab her and the children were currently squished in. Ever since her chat with Marlene's father, she'd been worried about the whereabouts and well being of her own daughter. She'd tried calling Aerith multiple times and received the voicemail on each and every try. She had even called Cloud but she didn't know if he didn't answer because he couldn't or because he didn't want to. She frowned as she thought about her daughter's husband; there was no telling what was going on with Cloud. She'd never tell Aerith, but she was a little disappointed when they had come over to her house and announced their marriage.

Elmyra sighed, chiding herself, '_Oh be honest, woman! You were furious!_'

Marlene looked up at Elmyra, face softening into a look of sympathy. Lacing her fingers with the older woman's she smiled up at her, "Are you okay?" The woman was thrown out of her thoughts and stared down at the little girl, offering a weak smile.

"I guess I'm just a bit worried."

The little girl tilted her head, "Why?" Denzel turned his head in their direction, giving Elmyra a questioning gaze, watching on in interest, "Aren't you excited to see everyone again?"

Elmyra looked out the window at the scenery, watching the buildings and streets melt into grasslands and trees, "Of course I am." Marlene smiled brighter, her hold on the older woman's hand tightening. Yawning she rested her head on Elmyra's shoulder, and closed her eyes, drifting off into sleep. The woman smiled, squeezing the little girl's hand gently and giving Denzel a soft smile, the young boy smiled back before returning his gaze to the window once more.

Elmyra stared at him then down to Marlene nestled at her side like a kitten looking for warmth. She knew that she missed this. Caring for others, being there. Ever since Aerith had left home to join the others on their journey. She had Marlene for a time, but eventually her father came back for her, and she was left alone again. Moving her arm to lay on the armrest, she propped her chin on her knuckles and just let her mind wander.

What would her husband have thought of all this?

If he _had_ come back from the war, and kneeled beside her as she listened to Ifalna's last words; if he _had_ took part in raising the woman's wonderful child; if he _had_ stood with her as they defended the young girl from Shin-Ra; if he _had_ stood with her, scolding the teenager for staying out too late with that _Zack _boy; if he _had_ held her, as she held her tears at bay when Cloud told her she'd been kidnapped by Tseng; if he _had _paced the room while she cared for Marlene, worrying about their daughter's safety; if he _had_ held Aerith close with her, as she whispered her goodbyes . . . if he _had_ sat there beside her, as Aerith and Cloud exchanged brief glances before her daughter spoke the words she never expected to hear so soon: "_Mom . . . we're married_."

Maybe if he did come back, she wouldn't have been so reluctant to let Aerith go, maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't be so scared to be alone.

The day she announced her and her fiancée had eloped during the DeepGround invasion on behalf of Reeve, she almost strangled Cloud then and there. From then on she no longer spoke to Aerith Gainsborough, but to Aerith Strife, and it hurt, because she realized the little girl she had taken under her wing . . . was all grown up.

The little girl she had raised and watched grow, had fallen in love.

The little girl was willing to give her life for the man she loved.

The little girl was willing to put her own happiness at stake for his.

The little girl was willing to leave everything she knew and loved behind for him.

Elmyra sighed, knowing in just a short matter of time, that little girl wouldn't need her in her life anymore. Shutting her eyes she rested her cheek against the cold windowpane.

She had never realized how incomplete her life was before Aerith came around.

* * *

Aerith's eyes fluttered open softly, the early morning sun that streamed in through the crack in the curtains momentarily blinding her. She sat up, stretching and yawning into her hand. Looking at the clock on her nightstand she pulled the covers up to protect her from the chill, noticing for the first time just how cold it was.

'_Cloud was burning up last night, that's probably why I didn't notice_.' Her eyes widened at the thought of her blonde lover, '_Cloud!_' Turning to her right she opened her mouth to speak when she noticed no one was there. She stayed in that position for quite some time, wide eyed and open-mouthed as she stared at the empty spot beside her. Touching his pillow, the cold seeped through to her palm and it traveled down, to the last place he'd been, only to feel the same result. Cold.

He'd been gone for a while.

Worry, fear, and panic rippled through her all at once. That nightmare he had the night before left him trembling and terrified, she could only imagine, after all he's seen and done, that what he dreamed about was something she could never even come close to dreaming herself. '_Wait,_' Her mind whispered, '_What was it he said last night?_'

'_**I can't lose you, and I can't lose the baby.'**_

Her mouth fell open as his words turned over and over in her mind; in that same broken whisper she'd heard them spoken in. Her hand flew to her middle, resting easily over the curve of their growing child.

'_He dreamed about the baby . . ._'

She threw the covers off to the side, intent on finding him, when the door to their bedroom opened. Cloud poked his head in, spotting her, and he smiled softly, "You're finally awake."

She was frozen in her spot, still slack-jawed from her seat on the edge of the bed. There was something about the way he smiled that . . . frightened her. His eyes were dull, almost dead, while his lips were curved upwards, the most out of character and terrifying combination she could ever think of after the events of last night, and after what she discovered had caused it.

" . . .Yeah," She struggled to speak over the lump forming in her throat. Standing she made her way over to him slowly, wringing her hands together in a nervous manner, "Cloud, what-"

"I have to get going."

Aerith stiffened, "What?"

He smiled gently at her and took her shoulders softly in his hands, leaning down he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, as she stood completely frozen in his grasp. Pulling back, he stared into her eyes before letting her go and turning to the door, shutting it silently behind him.

Her hands fell to her sides. She never moved from her spot, not when the door had been shut right in her face, not when she heard the front door open and close, and not when she heard the roar of his motorcycle's engine, then the slow fading sound of it driving away from the house. She only stood, listening to the sounds of an empty house.

She hadn't even realized she was stepping backwards until the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed, and then she was sitting, watching the closed door intently.

What was going on?

Cloud didn't look right. He wasn't acting right. "Cloud . . ." She whispered softly. She stared down at her tummy, moving her arms to lightly circle her child.

Was the very thing he assured her didn't matter starting to dawn on him?

Was he beginning to think this was a mistake?

He said he needed her. He said he needed _them_. Then why was he acting this way? Pretending like he hadn't screamed, like he hadn't flailed or cried.

Standing up, she decided not to think about it, trying to put a stopper on the flood of "if's" that began to flow like a cracked dam. She couldn't think of "if", she couldn't worry herself.

Opening the door, she headed down the empty hall and entered the kitchen, ignoring the sudden twist in the pit of her stomach. Removing a glass from the cabinet, she got to work on a pot of tea. Warming the water in the coffee machine, she moved to retrieve a pan to start on breakfast when an intense stab of pain shot through her. She gasped, dropping the frying pan. It fell to the floor clattering loudly and spinning before slowly coming to a stop.

Aerith gripped the edge of the countertop, grimacing. Standing up straight again, she felt sweat begin to form at her hairline, '_It's okay_,' she thought to herself, '_the baby just decided to play kickball with my insides_.' "Maybe I should sit down," she whispered to herself, thanking her lucky stars that the nearest chair was right beside her.

Plopping down, she blew air through her mouth, and then breathed in deeply. Rubbing her palms against her skin in soothing, circular motions, she breathed out deeply, and then breathed in once more. Right now, she wished more than anything for someone to walk in and stay with her. She wished for her mother, wanting nothing more than to hold her hand until the pain subsided, she wished for Tifa, to sit beside her, speaking calming words to reassure her she was fine, but most of all, she wished that Cloud would come back.

She didn't understand at all, she was barely going on three and a half months, why was she in so much pain?

Aerith blinked slowly, wondering why the room was suddenly so bright. She brought her hand up to the edge of the table, holding herself up right. A black spot popped out of nowhere and she jumped, scooting back as more appeared, one by one right before her very eyes. "What—ssss . . ." She began only to be cut short as she fell to her right, slipping off the chair and hitting the floor, bringing the chair with her.


	10. I Need Your Help

Hello everyone! My author's note will be at the bottom this time because I can't explain things without giving the whole chapter away :) But I can say that this chapter was heavily inspired by one of Disney's most popular live action films.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII does not belong to me, the game and all its characters belong to SQUARE-ENIX.

Enjoy!

* * *

"_ . . . –oly . . . —hit! . . ._"

"_—ick . . . er . . . up!_"

"_Where . . .e . . .ell . . .s __**Cloud**__?_"

* * *

. . .

. . . Cloud?

. . . Cl—

* * *

_"Cloud, behind you!" She screamed._

_The blonde whipped around, but to her, it all went in slow motion. Her heart stopped, her lips parted, her eyes widened as the beast lunged towards him, fangs bared and claws poised to strike. With a low grunt, he swung the first tsurugi, muscles growing taut and emerging from their hiding beneath his skin as he cleaved it in two, the mutated soldier screaming in pain and agony._

_Glowing cobalt blood, wires, and metal chips flew._

_As soon as he was in the clear, a trooper rushed him. Blades clashed, sparks flew, but the trooper wasn't quick enough, Cloud forced him back, causing him to stumble before the blonde swung his blade, sending the trooper's body flying._

_She smiled to herself, turning her attention back to her own fight, 'he knows how to take care of himself.' Retracting her staff, she holstered it and removed her gun from the holster on her right leg, taking a defensive stance._

_All around her, soldiers fought, good and bad, life and death, forced or willing; all sides were present. The field was littered with bodies, wearing the glowing blue suits of Deepground or the light gray uniforms of the WRO. This wasn't what she wanted, but things didn't always go her way. Deepground was kidnapping and sacrificing people, innocent people, people who were living out their lives as they would have any other day, there was no other way to stop them all and end the pain. Reeve had made that very clear._

_Raising the handgun she took aim and fired. Lights flashed in front of her and suddenly bullets were speeding towards her. Stepping back she ran and fired, the silver kicking back in her hands with each shot._

_She was lucky Barret and Vincent had taken the time to teach her, if they hadn't she'd be in __**big**__ trouble._

_In the distance, soldiers fell, dropping to the floor like the diminutive victims of an alluring blue light. Paratroopers zoomed overhead, targeting the Shera, the WRO's only base for the whole operation. They were swallowed up within the shadows of Cid's tremendous creation, nowhere to be seen until they smashed the windows and ransacked the crew. Ducking behind a fallen scrap of what used to be the exterior of the Shin-Ra building; she pressed herself against it and panted, attempting to catch her breath. Pulling out her cell phone, she flipped it open, typing in "C" on her contacts list and pressing send on Cid's name._

_It rang for a couple of seconds before his gruff voice picked up, "What shit's goin' on now?"_

_"It's me, Aerith," she breathed, swallowing, she peeked out from behind the scrap metal, "They just sent more paratroopers, they're headed for your blind spot."_

_"The hell?" He cried. She could faintly hear him barking orders on the other end, and she coughed, she hadn't run so far all day._

_"There were six, a whole squad. Keep an eye out," she said, pressing back into the metal._

_"Gotcha." Then he hung up._

_She closed her phone, pocketing it, then with a glance behind her cover, she loaded another round into her handgun. Looking left, then right, she rose and ran back into the midst of battle._

_Something growled behind her and she turned just in time to see one of Deepground's beasts lunging at her, metal scraping hard earth sounded behind her and out of the corner of her eye she saw a trooper charging forward. She was trapped, no matter what she did she was going to get attacked. If she shot the beast, then it would leave her open for the trooper to slice right through her, and if she fought off the trooper, then she'd get her head chewed off—literally—by the beast. They were both too close for her to jump out of the way, and she knew it was far too late to call for the backup her friends had wanted her to take. A black and silver blur flashed before her and suddenly, the bodies fell at her feet._

_Turning sharply, she was met with the "blur's" back. Cloud stood, looking over his shoulder he caught her eyes and before she could even open her mouth to speak he was standing next to her, sword drawn. "You shouldn't run off like that."_

_Her lips set in a tight line and she took a defensive stance of her own, "You expected me to leave Cid in the dark until a gun was pointed to his head?"_

_Pegasus Riders sped towards them, plowing through WRO soldiers and some of their own, targeting the two of them and Cloud smirked, "When you put it like that. . ." A rider aimed its machine gun at the blonde preparing to fire when Cloud bolted forward, thrusting the first tsurugi and smacking the rider with the width of his blade. The rider's head cracked to the side, the sounds of malfunctioning electrical equipment and a shattering jawbone accompanying that of metal striking metal. Aerith raised her gun and quickly fired, piercing right through its armor and to whatever laid beneath. The others circled them and she wasted no time in sending a barrage of her own, knocking out the riders and sending their zero-G bikes out of control to collide with others, or keep going on and on without control._

_Aerith jogged towards Cloud, hair flying behind her from the soft breeze, and placed her hand on his arm, fingers gliding over the smooth skin of his bicep, she looked around cautiously at the battle and was about to speak when he cut her off, "You're not wearing it."_

_A trooper kicked a gun out of one of their soldier's hands and he froze, pulling his arm back he raised his blade to cleave down, Aerith aimed her gun and fired catching the trooper's hand. He dropped the blade and turned, looking directly at her she couldn't tell, and she fired twice more, the bullets piercing his chest. The trooper fell and their soldier smiled giving her a quick salute before picking up his weapon and running off, she spoke loudly to be heard over the noise, "Wearing what?"_

_Cloud looked over his shoulder, eyes trailing down her neck and resting just a little ways south of her collarbone, "the necklace."_

_Her eyes widened, and her free hand flew to her chest, fingers clenching loosely over the spot where she was so used to feeling the pendant he spoke of, "Oh." She could see a sniper trying to get a good aim of Cloud, before he could, she had pulled the trigger, the sniper's body jerked then slid off the side of the building. She shook her head, "I took it off. I didn't want it to get broken or worse, lost." Her hand traveled up and touched the skin of her throat, she wasn't even wearing her black choker, "It's important."_

_A small smile crossed his face at that._

_More troopers began to surround them. Cloud bounded, driving the sword forward in one fluid motion, mowing down the sea of blues, grays, and blacks as she handled the ones before her. In these moments, where he was lost in nothing but the drive, and intensity of the battle, where his blade was like an extension of himself and he craved for nothing more than victory over those who opposed him. . .she saw the monster that his experimentation had hidden deep within. The very THING Shin-Ra had made him out to be. The legendary Cloud Strife, ruthless mercenary._

_She was pulled out of her thoughts when gleaming silver flashed before her eyes, giving her just enough time to lean back, skin missing steel by mere inches. Without thinking twice she shot up right, and threw her leg out sharply, sending the trooper flying from the force of her kick. He landed on top of another trooper, their blades piercing each other's bodies as they collapsed to the floor unmoving. She looked away instantly._

_No matter how much she didn't like it, it had to be done, if she wasn't going to do it, others would get hurt. Her hands had never been squeaky clean to begin with._

_A loud boom sounded and one of the buildings exploded. Black smoke clouds enveloped everything in thick, choking darkness. A crushing gust of wind pushed everyone amongst the field back, whipping hair and clothes about to the point where it was painful. Strong arms grabbed her around the waist and she didn't have to turn around to know it was Cloud. He turned her around, away from the blast and compressed her tightly to his chest, shielding as much of her as he could._

_Through the tangled storm of her hair she could see his sword, obscured by chocolate colored tresses thrashing about in the violent breeze, sliding along the floor, tumbling even, along the dry earth and away from its wielder. Blonde merged with brunette, and for what felt like an eternity, the war had stopped. Soldiers from both sides just stood, shielding themselves, trying to make it through to that moment where everything would return to normal. When blood would be shed once more and the only things on their minds was winning the day._

_Time seemed to slow as the gale grew soft. Slowly but surely, everyone stood up straight again, taking a moment to gather themselves. She felt dizzy and sick, hanging slightly over Cloud's arm when things had returned to normal speed. There was a shout—more of a battle cry—and the fighting resumed once more._

"_Let's go!" Cloud shouted, left arm falling from her waist but right arm remaining to make her run with him. Her left arm hooked around the back of his neck to hang loosely over his chest as they ran, destination clear. His sword was in sight. Everywhere she looked, both Deepground and the WRO were scurrying around, picking up weapons as fast as they could, some didn't even pick up their own. Every now and then they'd pass a Deepground soldier with a gun clearly marked with the WRO's insignia, or a WRO soldier with a glowing mako weapon._

_It didn't really matter as long as you weren't defenseless, right?_

_Cloud stooped to grab the first tsurugi, standing again as quickly as he could with weapon in hand. She disentangled herself from him, hands patting her hips and thighs clumsily for her own. Pulling out the handgun she pushed her hair out of her eyes only for them to widen at what she saw._

"_Planet. . ." She whispered breathlessly. Thousands of soldiers poured out from the fiery skeleton of the Shin-Ra building. Not even bothering to rush to the battlefield, all just marching in sync._

_Her free hand searched desperately for her cell. Taking hold of the maroon device, she flipped it open quickly, and dialed Reeve, beyond panicked now._

"_I'm extremely busy righ—"_

"_There's more of them!"_

_Cloud turned around upon hearing this, and his mouth fell open at what laid out before him._

"_What?"_

"_Thousands!" She cried, "What happened to Vincent? Did he—He didn't—He. . ." She stumbled over her words, throat going dry. Did he die?_

"_He's still alive, but we can't get through to him, or Yuffie."_

_She nodded, more to herself than to Reeve because he couldn't see it. She heard him sigh on the other end, obviously fearing the worst, ". . .What do we do now?"_

_She stood as others fought around her, completely removed from the equation, licking her suddenly dry lips, she spoke, "Just push on. . .as far as we can." They were both silent, nothing else needing to be said. She snapped her phone shut softly as the dial tone sounded in her ear._

_Breathing in deeply she threw herself into the battle once more, determined to not give up until her last breath. She wasn't going to surrender without a fight, not when people's lives were at stake, not when the planet they'd fought so hard to defend was on the verge of being destroyed once more._

_There was still a future to protect._

_Troopers charged at her. Wrenching her staff from its holster, she swung it outwards, the metal expanding to its full height, and rushed forward, meeting them halfway. Dodging a blade by inches she used her position to ram the end of her staff into the trooper's jaw, head cracking backwards with a sickening crunch, and kicked out his legs from beneath him, grabbing his blade in the process. Tossing the sword aside she swung her staff and sent another trooper flying, far off into the distance. Something crept behind her and she turned sharply, swinging her staff once more only for it to clash with Cloud's sword._

_Equally surprised looks crossed both their faces._

_She looked into his eyes, all her focus draining into those crystal clear, sky blue orbs, and she felt her pulse quicken and her cheeks flush. Their lives together had just barely begun. . .now it looked as if their time together was going to be cut short, "I. . ." She shouted over the noise, loud enough for him to hear, "There's just too many. . ."_

_He turned from her then, blocking an attack from another trooper before raising his fist and punching him in the face, pushing him back. Throwing his sword over his shoulder he brought it down roughly, silencing the man turned thing once and for all._

_Cloud stood there, not moving, and she wondered what was wrong. Was he hurt? Did he strain anything? He didn't give her a chance to do anything when he spun around, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him. She gasped, tripping over herself from the force of his tug. Glaring at him, she wondered why he couldn't just call her over._

"_What's wrong with y—!"_

"_Marry me!"_

_Her eyes widened and she blinked dumbly. His grip on her arm had tightened slightly and a look of longing had replaced his usual neutral expression._

"_. . .w—we can't!"_

_Something flickered in his eyes, but she couldn't make it out,_ "_We may never get the chance again!"_

"_Right now?"_

_He leaned in closer to her, voice hard and eyebrows drawn together, "The way things look right now, there won't be a tomorrow!" They stared at each other. He, anxiously waiting for a reply, and she, too stunned to do anything._

_Footsteps clomped towards them, causing them both to look up. She raised her gun and fired at the soldier who had tried to attack them; he dropped his machine gun, arms flailing and fell to the floor. She gazed down at her chest, to where her necklace was supposed to be, "I already agreed to marry you!" She looked up and straight into his eyes, knowing as well as he did the keyword: agreed. Her panicked side was beginning to show again and she had no idea why._

_He never looked away from her intense stare, meeting it back with one of his own, and as calmly as he could in the midst of war, he yelled over the noise, "What's it gonna be?"_

_She bit her lip. It was something that he'd wanted for the longest time, and just recently, she had wanted it too. But the part of her that was still terrified and apprehensive was rearing its ugly head once more._

_Spend the last few hours of her life as Aerith Strife, or spend it avoiding the man she loved more than anything just because she was scared of saying 'I do'? She was foolish to even have to think about it._

_Her eyes sparkled and she smiled, an idea coming to her, "Reeve!" She shouted._

_Aerith dug into her pocket, pulling out her cell and typing in Reeve's number, then pressing the speaker button._

"_Hello?"_

"_Reeve!" She shouted to be heard, "I need to catch up on a favor you owe me!"_

"_What might that be?"_

"_I want you to marry Cloud and I!"_

_There was silence on the other end, and she could hear the sounds of things breaking in the background, "Are you sure this is the best time?" He said a little frantically._

"_It's the perfect time, and you promised!"_

_There was a loud crash on the line and Cloud let her go to take on the approaching soldiers. Following in his lead, she raised her gun and fought off as many people as she could while she waited for Reeve's reply._

"_I'll see what I could do!"_

_She laughed, feeling so beyond elated it was palpable but she couldn't have cared less, Cloud grabbed her hand, smiling softly at her, before Reeve began the ritual. His voice was fuzzy, but clear none the less, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered, somewhat, here today in the presence of these witnesses, the planet, and the gods to join. . ."_

_Shattering glass sounded in the background, interrupting him, and the sounds of shouting followed it. Never once letting go of her hand, Cloud fended off the soldiers, sword in his left hand opposed to his dominant right, but he proved to have no trouble with it._

_Reeve returned, "Cloud Strife and Aerith Gainsborough in—long awaited—holy matrimony."_

_They smiled at each other, crimson staining her sun-tanned cheeks. Leave it to Reeve to add 'Long awaited'._

_It was funny because it was true._

_"If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together—" There was a gun shot, "let them speak now or forever hold their peace!"_

_Cloud hacked through a beast, eyes flying to the phone in her hand, "We can skip this part!" He shouted, driving off hoards of troopers with quick thrusts of his blade. He tugged her towards him gently, staring into her emerald eyes lovingly, "Aerith Gainsborough, do you take me to be your husband?"_

_Smiling brightly, she nodded, "I do!"_

_They continued to gaze at each other, lost in a world that consisted of only them, before it was shattered by a fierce battle cry. Lifting her gun, she shot the attacker down. Separating, but still grasping the other's hand like a lifeline, they fought back Deepground. Gunning down the enemies in her sight, she tried to get as many as she could so they wouldn't be interrupted for a while._

_"Cloud Strife," She shouted, looking over her shoulder to stare at him, "Do you take me," She fired once more, "to be your wife?" A trooper charged them and she kicked his sword out of his hand, it flew for a while, and before it could even fall back to the earth, she raised her guns, pulling the trigger. She didn't want to say what she was about to, but seeing as how their circumstances were, she added it anyway, ". . .even after death do us part?"_

_As sincerely as he could, he shouted over the noise, "I do!"_

_"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife!" Reeve shouted, the noise from his station on the Shera growing louder. "You may kiss. . ."_

_Cloud wrenched his blade free from a soldier's body and threw it over his shoulder, sliding the first tsurugi into its sheath. Grasping her by the waist with his left arm, he pulled her down, forcing her to fall back as he dipped her. Her right arm snaked around his neck to hold on, and her left hand laid flat against his chest. Both their lips parted in anticipation, waiting for Reeve to speak the words they had been waiting for so long to hear._

_"You may kiss. . .!"_

_They stayed in that position, enduring the tormenting silence. Cloud's brows furrowed and he clenched his teeth, "Come on Reeve!"_

_There was grunting on the line and gunshots sounded before the older man shouted into the phone, "You may kiss the bride!"_

_Aerith gripped the collar of his shirt in her hand, pulling him down to her as she lifted herself up, bringing their lips together. The kiss was hot, and electric, sending exciting shivers down her spine; his free hand wound its way into her hair, pressing on the back of her head to hold her closer to him. So close, the tip of his nose dug into her cheek, then it slowed, to something soft and sweet, mouths closing over one and others gently. The phone fell out of her grasp and landed to the floor with a thud. . ._

* * *

Her eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't open them. Slowly but surely, her senses started to return. She could feel the sun, warm on her face, the quilt, soft and tucked in all around her, the mattress beneath her and the pillow under her head.

'_Why did I. . .remember that?_'

Her eyes shot open. How'd she get in bed? The last thing she remembered was being in the kitchen and then. . .oh no.

The door opened and she sat up quickly, but regretted it when her head spun and her vision blurred.

"Careful!" Someone said gently, a hand grasping her shoulder to steady her. Looking up through the curtain of her bangs, she tried desperately to make out the figure that stood before her. He was wearing black, but she couldn't register his face.

". . .Cloud?" She whispered wearily.

Her vision cleared, and she was met with concerned coal colored eyes. Tseng stared at her, eyes soft and face drawn in a mixture of relief and worry. "Hey. . ." He whispered softly. She blinked at him, utterly confused.

"Tseng. . .how did you get in my house?"

There was shuffling in the corners of the room and she turned to see Rude standing, and Reno stretching in his chair. Before she could speak, she was being handed a bouquet of flowers, the yellow and white lilies that grew in her church in the slums. She took them wordlessly, still waiting for an answer.

Tseng sighed, wiping pollen off his fingers. "I'm sorry for scaring you like that. But I came as soon as I got a call from Rude and Reno."

Reno smiled softly at her, but even she could tell the usual mischievous "comic relief" character of the Turks was downcast.

"What's going on?" She whispered cautiously.

"We were hoping," Rude spoke, "You could tell us."

'_So they're the ones who brought me up here. . ._'

She looked down to the lilies, thinking back as far as she could remember, "I. . .I don't know."

Tseng grasped her shoulder once again, pushing her gently to lie back down, "You should take it easy for now." He glanced out the window, "Aerith. . .where is Cloud?"

Her eyes widened and she closed them, lips set in a firm line, ". . .I don't know."

Reno's hands clenched tightly and even Rude was stunned into silence.

* * *

He had been on the road for so long, he hadn't bothered to keep track of time, but he was finally here. His motorcycle slowed as he approached the worn gates, rebuilt by Shin-Ra once again after the destruction of Meteor fall. Revving up the engine he put a little gas into it and turned off Fenrir, letting the wheels just spin on their own to make an easier stop around the curve of the well. Putting the kickstand down, Cloud removed his sunglasses and took in his surroundings.

He was back in Nibelheim.

Dismounting his bike, he realized that not even Shin-Ra could reproduce what had been destroyed twice. The well, the houses and buildings, everything. Maybe this was neo-Nibelheim, a not so accurate replica of a city that was destroyed, like Edge. Even if everything was incomparable to the Nibelheim he grew up in, it was still home.

And he needed to get this off his chest.

Few people walked the streets, and he would have thought it to be a ghost town had it been night, but it was still early morning. Pocketing his keys he entered the house he stopped in front of, taking note of the for sale sign in the window and entered. It was his childhood home, or it _used _to be his childhood home. Now it was just a poorly replicated structure left abandoned. He was kind of expecting the old woman who had moved in three years ago to be here but no one was in sight.

Sighing, he crossed the room towards his old bedroom. Again, not the same. Taking a seat on the sheet less mattress, he stared at the wall then threw himself back, lying down to stare at the ceiling. Letting his palms rest on his stomach he thought of how to start and what to say, and without even thinking twice he spoke softly to the midmorning shadows, ". . .Hey, mom."

Silence. It wasn't like he was expecting an answer. ". . .I'm pretty sure you already know this but. . .I'm going to be a father."

Silence. Closing his eyes, he continued, ". . .and. . .I don't know what else to say." To any random person who would have walked in and saw him talking to the ceiling, he would have looked like a nut-job. "I. . .need your help." His eyes trained on a peculiar crack on the ceiling, just following the spider web like pattern, "I'm happy. I'm so, so happy but. . .I'm scared."

He opened his eyes, watching his hands fiddle with the zipper on his shirt, "I never knew dad, it was always just you and me. And what if. . .I'm horrible at it?" His answer was silence. Rubbing his forehead with the heel of his palm, all his fears and inhibitions spilled free. "I don't know what it's like, and I'm going into this as blindly as possible. Aerith, she grew up with only a mother too, so we both don't know what it's like and that worries me.

"I don't know, maybe I'll learn along the way, but. . ." His eyes crossed as he realized what he just said, ". . .I haven't told you about Aerith, have I?" Chuckling softly, he continued, "I never married Tifa. . .never even got anywhere close to a relationship with her that went beyond friendship. Then again. . ." he trailed off, knowing that he probably wouldn't have noticed Aerith either if it hadn't had been for Zack always being so touchy feely with her. Shaking his head, he decided to leave that out, "You were right, you know. Aerith's a year older than me, not much but she's still older. . .and, I love her so much." He imagined his wife's eyes, emerald green with the faintest hints of brown and gold, absolutely beautiful. "Her mother though, not so much. She doesn't like me, and I'm not so fond of her either, but when you marry a woman, you marry her family and she's all the family Aerith has in the world, so I have to accept her." A smile crossed his face, "You'd love Aerith. Maybe. . .I'll bring her here to meet you. . .her _and _the baby."

* * *

_Loud cheers and shouts boomed when Vincent returned._

_Smiling, Aerith couldn't help herself from joining in, clapping for him. Cloud stepped up behind her, nodding the older man's way, a wordless code of approval and congratulations. Leaning in close, he whispered in her ear, "You forgot something."_

_Cold smoothness touched her neck, and she looked down to see her necklace, feeling the brush of his gloves against the skin of her neck as he hooked the clasp in place. A soft smile touched her lips, and she looked into her husband's eyes. She ran her fingers over the surface of the white gold pendant gently, like she was afraid it would break if she even held it, and laughed softly._

_"This means something completely different now, doesn't it?"_

_"Yeah. . ."_

_Only a few hours ago, it had been her engagement necklace, and now. . ._

_"I'll buy you a new one," Cloud said, watching her cradle the pendant carefully. Her eyes snapped up to his and she shook her head, back and forth._

_"No, it's perfect."_

_"It's old. . ."_

_"It's perfect."_

_"It's an _engagement_ necklace."_

_"But it's your mother's, isn't it?"_

_He smiled sadly, "Which is why I want to buy you a new one. Something better."_

_"Cloud, I don't want a new one, I love it more than you could ever know," She spoke softly. "And knowing it belonged to her. . .makes me feel like. . .like I know her."_

_He tilted his head, speechless at her simplicity and desire to keep a piece of his mother close to her heart. She really was amazing. ". . .you sure?"_

_"Positive."_

_Her thoughts wandered off to earlier, on the battlefield, and she smiled. ". . .you knew Vincent was going to win the whole time. . .didn't you?"_

_He smiled back, answering her question with just the simple look in his eyes._

* * *

"How long was I out?" Aerith asked quietly.

Tseng had gone down stairs to prepare something for breakfast. . .or lunch, or dinner, she didn't know what time of day it was right now, just like she didn't know how everyone got into her **locked **house. Rude looked to Reno, who was solemnly looking down at the floor, seated in a chair at the foot of her bed.

"We don't know how long you had been lying there when we got in."

Reno tugged at a string on the comforter, never looking up, "I was walking by and saw that the mail was pilin' up." Her eyes widened. "And Cloud's bike was gone. Rude looked in the window and saw you, we busted the door open and picked you up."

". . .When did you find me?"

"Yesterday."

"oh god. . ." She whispered.

Cloud had left almost three days ago.

She threw the covers off quickly, making the two Turks jump and rush to hold her down. "Stop!" She shouted, "I need to go to the hospital!"

"Easy! Easy!" Reno said, helping Rude stick her back under the covers, "We already had a doc come and inspect you!" She stopped resisting at this new development and stared at them both. Rude took this as his cue to lay her back down.

". . .What did he say?"

"You're fine," Rude said, "You just need some rest."

"What about my baby? I was out for two whole days! For all I know it could be hurt, or sick, or—or—!" Hot tears began to sting her eyes, her thoughts being made very clear by the looks on both men's faces.

"Whoa, hold on a sec," Reno said, stepping in front of Rude and taking a seat on the bed beside her, "the kid's fine, we had 'im check that first." His pale blue eyes softened and he tilted his head, "Don't start thinking like that. Believe it or not," The redhead rubbed the back of his head nervously, "even though the kid's not born yet, we both, and I'm pretty sure the boss does too, but, we all really care about him."

The tears in her eyes threatened to fall but those were the only ones that came. She was relieved to know her baby was fine, but, Reno said 'him'.

"Him?"

"Hmm?" Reno blinked then smiled, once again looking like his old self again, "Yeah, me and Rude have a bet going! I think the kid's gonna be a boy, Ruddy here," he jerked his thumb back to point at the bald Turk, "thinks it's gonna be a girl!"

Rude smirked, even though it was small, it was clear as day, "I **know **it's going to be a girl."

"Like hell!"

She wiped her eyes, giggling through the tears.

Tseng entered the room, holding a makeshift tray—which was really one of her order sheet binders—of a glass of water and what looked like chicken noodle soup, a couple crackers laid out on the edge of the plate.

The doctor must have told them she needed fluids.

"Smells good, boss! I didn't know you can cook!" Reno said, eyeing the steaming bowl.

Tseng smiled lightly only for it to fall, ". . .would you two please excuse us, we need to talk."

Reno raised an eyebrow, and was about to protest when Rude grabbed him by the collar, dragging him out of her bedroom before closing the door.

Tseng sighed, resting the binder on her lap carefully, and then pulled up the chair next to the foot of the bed, bringing it to her side. He sat down wordlessly, watching her stir the golden broth.

She smiled at her friend, "Thank you, Tseng."

His eyes snapped up to hers and he shook his head, "It was nothing, I just used some leftovers and—"

"No, not for that, but it was sweet of you to do this for me."

Tseng ran his hand through his hair, looking her straight in the eyes, "Then. . .for what?" He looked down to the untouched soup on her lap and motioned towards it, "You should really eat."

Smiling, she stirred for a few more seconds before lifting the spoon to her lips and blowing lightly, the opaque steam flowing away from her. Satisfied with the amount of heat emanating to her lips, she put the spoon in her mouth. Taking it out, she rested it back in the bowl and looked at Tseng, an eyebrow raised.

"I'm impressed. I didn't know you could cook either." Resting her right hand on her tummy, she rubbed it gently, "Do you like it too?" Tseng smiled at her. It might have been bizarre of him to think so, but there was just something about Aerith talking to her unborn child that he found. . .endearing.

"It's strange. . ." He said suddenly, "I've known you ever since you were a baby. . .and now," he paused; she smiled, rubbing her bump affectionately.

". . .I'm having one of my own," she finished for him.

He nodded slowly, "Yeah." Rubbing the back of his head he looked at his shoes, "I guess I still think of you as the little girl Shin-Ra wanted to get their hands on more than anything, and that makes it hard for me to. . .to register."

Something else bothered him about the whole situation, but he doubted Aerith would like to hear about the fact that she and Cloud were having sex made him want to throw up and then hang himself. He wasn't stupid. Babies didn't just pop out of thin air.

She smiled at him, a dark brow raised in amusement, "You still think of me as a little girl?"

"You're younger than me, that's for sure."

She turned back to her soup, staring off into space thoughtfully, ". . .did that happen to cross your mind when you kissed me?"

Tseng blushed, about to defend himself when something fell just outside the door. "_Crap!_" They both heard Reno cry, then the sound of scrambling feet running down the stairs.

Tseng looked away, playing with the sleeve of his suit, face crimson. "I thought I was going to die. . .and I'd always wanted to before. . ." Tugging at his cufflinks, he inwardly smiled as he remembered, that pivotal moment almost three and a half years ago. The climax of a daring escape. The softness of her skin beneath his palms, the look of complete and utter shock when he captured her lips, and well. . .her lips, and the fact they were being pressed with his. Looking up at her, he figured now was a better time than any to ask the question that burned in his mind every now and then, ". . .Why didn't you slap me?"

She smiled at him, that mysterious air that he loved about her returning, and took a small sip of her water, "Oh believe me, I wanted to."

His face fell at that. Resting the water on her nightstand she held her hands together, "Even though you weren't my favorite person at that moment, when they shined the searchlight on us, and when you told me you were going back to buy me some time, I. . .I couldn't let you do it." She met his gaze, black watching green intently and she continued, "You're my friend, Tseng. You've known me longer than anyone else and you always did your best to protect me when I was with Shin-Ra." He looked away, wondering if she forgot that time when he had kidnapped her himself, slapping her hard across the face in front of Barret, Tifa, and Cloud, or if she was really just that forgiving. "I couldn't let you die," she spoke softly, resting her hand over his gently.

Gazing at their hands, he breathed in deeply, then stood, making her hand slip off of his, "Thank you, that's all I needed to know." Turning, he opened the door and left the room, black hair trailing after him.

Rude was sitting on the couch patiently while Reno was going through everything in the Strife household. He had come across some interesting things, like inventory sheets of all of Cloud's deliveries, showing him exactly how much he made a week, which was pretty impressive, a few pictures here and there where Cloud was **actually** smiling, and some strange CD's that could be either one of theirs. '_Maybe I should search the bedroom next!_' He thought with a grin, '_I'd definitely find some interesting things in there!_'

"Hey Rude," Reno called over his shoulder, receiving a grunt in reply, "Do you think they're the type of couple to leave freaky things in plain sight?"

Footsteps came down the stairs quickly and Tseng touched the floor, hand releasing the railing. Reno waved.

"'Sup?"

"I have to head back to work, keep an eye on her, okay."

"Got it!"

Tseng reached for the handle on the door and was about to turn the knob when it turned on its own, pushing itself open. He stepped back to find Elmyra stepping in. Their eyes widened as they stared at each other.

"What are you doing here?" They asked each other, but she, frantically, while he, calmly.

"Where's my daughter?" She asked, jabbing him in the chest. When he was about to speak she cut him off, "Never mind!" She pushed her way past him and dashed up the stairs and straight for her daughter's room. "Aerith! Sweetheart, are you okay?" She burst through the door, "Aerith are you—?"

Aerith looked up from her soup to see her mother standing in the doorway, "M—mom?" Elmyra's mouth flopped open, giving her the appearance of a fish without water, as she stared at her.

"Aerith you're. . ."

She looked down and instantly realized what her mom was staring at. Suddenly she felt like a deer in the headlights.

Elmyra swallowed nervously, ". . .you're pregnant."

* * *

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN!

Elmyra has just found out her precious little girl is going to have a baby!

Aerith's engagement necklace: I really loved the idea they used in FFXIII about using necklaces instead of rings to propose. It's unique, and since this **is** the world of Final Fantasy, I figured why not have the same rules apply for VII?

My design for Aerith's Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus outfit: You could find pictures of her wearing it on my DeviantArt account, I have a link to it on my page.

And if you guys haven't already guessed which Disney movie it was, it was Pirates of The Caribbean: At Worlds End :) That movie has one of the best wedding scenes in the history of movies and it just fit so perfectly with Cloud and Aerith! I've always felt their characters matched with Will and Elizabeth.

Disclaimer: Pirates of The Caribbean: At Worlds End does not belong to me.

I really hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Please leave me some feedback because, sadly, I'm not motivated without it ;^; So, until next time!


	11. Mother

Wow. It's been so long but I'm finally back! YAY FOR WINTER BREAK! Man, school sucks, and life in general sometimes. BUT! I was finally granted some free time by the time fairy and I'm now pleased to present CHAPTER 11! *cricket song instead of the loud applause I was expecting*

Damn . . . anyway, there are most likely many spelling/grammar/WTF errors because my word program is being an ass and not doing spell check. Please, please, please leave reviews! Judging by my schedule, I won't be able to update for a long, long time, I need to know that people like this story and don't want to see it die! Also, for the few people who read this story and are watching me on DeviantArt, I'd just like to throw in a little warning for people who asked questions on AZAC, because like with this, it'll probably be a while before I can get those answers up :(

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII does NOT belong to me, (but I'm not giving up yet! XD) it and all its characters, locations, etc. belong to SQUARE-ENIX.

Enjoy!

* * *

Reno moved to chase Aerith's mother up the stairs, when, he was pulled back by Tseng. His superior held his shoulder with the strength of ten men. Reno frowned, okay maybe not _ten_ men but still pretty hard.

"Leave her be."

Reno nodded, stepping back down as the older man released him.

It was quiet for a while.

"Hey boss," Reno asked, turning to look at the raven haired man, ". . . you never kissed Aerith . . . did you? She was joking . . . right?"

Tseng's face was cast in stone. No one said anything, and by now even Rude was waiting for an answer. They both knew how Elena felt about the director. Depending on how Tseng answered, they weren't sure if they could ever keep this from her.

Tseng shook his head, a stern look crossing his features, "Don't be ridiculous," he said before opening the door and taking his leave. Reno and Rude were left alone, the red head left to wonder whether that was a yes or no, and Rude knowing the answer without even having to ponder on it.

For what felt like eons, they only stared at each other.

It was as if time itself had stopped. Elmyra's hand fell from the doorknob, and flopped to hang at her side, before it came up to cover her mouth, hazel eyes wide.

"Mom . . ." Aerith whispered softly. Before she could even blink the older woman was at her side, slowly allowing herself to fall into the chair Tseng had been sitting in only a while ago. Her eyes flickered to her daughter's face, then to her bump, then to her face again.

". . . Please tell me you gained weight since the last time I saw you. . ."

Aerith's eyes narrowed uncertainly and her brows drew together, she ran her palms along her slight tummy nervously, as if she was trying to hide it from her, ". . . no." The room went silent once more. Averting her gaze to the coffee colored curtains, Aerith blew a few stray strands of hair away from her face, ". . . are you mad?"

The question caught her off guard, but she didn't show it.

"No. . .I'm not. I just . . . I'm a little confused," Elmyra whispered shakily, ". . . how long?"

The tension in the room suddenly wasn't as choking as it was when she first entered. Aerith smiled lightly, staring down at the object of attention and rubbing it affectionately, "Around three months."

She almost fainted right there.

Aerith sat up, staring her straight in the eyes without shame or regret, and as gently as possible, grasped her mother's shaking hand, "I know this is sudden but—"

"Oh, you think so?" She said sarcastically, pulling her hand back to rest it on her hip, eyes on fire and tight lines forming around her mouth.

Aerith's eyes narrowed, "Mom, you don't underst—"

"How could you do this to me, Aerith? I'm your mother! Not biologically but we're family just the same!" Her fists clenched at her sides. "How could you keep this from me? How could you just-just throw me out of your life like this?"

"Mom. . ."

"Were you planning to ever tell me at all?" She whispered brokenly. "Did I really have to come all the way from Kalm to accidently find out?"

"If you would just listen!"

"I knew this would happen!" Elmyra scoffed, "I knew it since the moment Cloud asked you to move in with him!"

"Let me explain!"

"He wants me out of your life completely! I knew he'd eventually rub off on you!"

"That's not it at all!"

"That's exactly i—"

"Shin-Ra wants to protect the baby!"

All the color in her face drained. She stared at her daughter, eyes wide and jaw falling open, giving her the appearance of a fish without water. Aerith took her hand once more, cradling it like she would a child's, "Don't think for a second that I don't want you in my life, because that's not true! I wanted more than anything to tell you after I broke the news to Cloud but things just didn't work out that way. I didn't even get to tell him myself! Then I went to go see Rufus and—"

"You went to see him?"

"I needed to know why, I couldn't just say 'okay, do what you want, I'm cool with it'. This is my baby, your **grandchild**," Pushing stray strands of hair out of her eyes, she continued, "He seems to think the same thing I did when I. . .found out."

"What . . .?"

Sighing deeply, Aerith laid back against the pillows, eyes closed, ". . . the baby could be a target." Elmyra's hand went to her mouth again as a single tear slipped down her daughter's cheek.

* * *

Nudging the kickstand down with the heel of his boot, Cloud swung a leg over Fenrir, stepping on solid earth. Removing his keys, he placed them in his pocket, and unhooked his cell from the handle bar. He paused, staring at it before flipping it open; there were about five missed calls.

'_When did that happen?_'

A wave of panic washed over him, and he quickly opened up the list. For all he knew any one of those calls or maybe every single one of them could have been Aerith.

'_Rude, Reno, Rude, Rude . . . Tseng . . ._'

He was relieved that none of them were his wife, but soon that relief melted into pure frustration and confusion. '_. . . She never called me. Not even once . . . How the hell did the Turks get my number?_'

Whatever it was they wanted he didn't let it faze him. Pocketing the black and silver device, he walked towards the monumental structure that had changed his life in more ways than one. The church stood, astonishingly, pretty soundly, casting everything before it in shadows from the setting sun. Removing his sunglasses he slid the temples between his shirt and just let them hang, not really caring whether they'd fall or not. With little resistance, the doors opened, emitting an ominous groan.

Apricot colored sunlight poured in from the gaping breaks in the roof, making the lilies that surrounded the healing pool glow, and the holy water glimmer and shine. Something wasn't right; he just couldn't place what it was.

Then he saw it.

Many of the flowers had been uprooted, chunky bits of deep brown soil standing out amongst the sea of ivory and gold. Shaking his head, he continued anyway, getting down on one knee beside the blooms. He scanned over each and every one, scrutinizing them, trying his hardest to pick out the best possible. Gloved fingertips traced the petals gently before reaching down to the stem, and snapping it gingerly. The last thing he needed was the storage compartment of his bike to reek of fertilizer if he took the roots with him, and he doubted Aerith would be happy if he came home smelling of it.

Snapping the last one, he stood, examining his work carefully. Content, he left the church, footfalls echoing off the walls hauntingly and walked back to his bike, grasping the stems as gently as possible in one hand as the other opened the doors. Closing them softly behind him, he approached Fenrir and opened the compartment of his bike, removing a silky pink ribbon he had bought before he left Nibelheim and tied the flowers together, a makeshift bouquet but pretty nonetheless. As simple a task it was, it was just the tiniest bit hard to purchase it without glaring at the people staring at him as if he was gender confused. Placing it in the storage unit he let the seat fall back down and locked it.

With one last look over his shoulder at the church, he smiled, then putting his sunglasses back on, he straddled the bike and started it, zooming off back home.

He just hoped Aerith wasn't angry with him for being gone so long.

Looking back, he realized that he left pretty abruptly, without a word of where he was going or what he was doing, just a kiss on the forehead. The dream he'd had the night before was just too much for him, so much, he couldn't look at her without reliving it again. Whenever he thought about it a part of him just felt . . . empty.

He didn't scare easily. He could count the number of times he cried on one hand. Out of all the pain in his past, all the heartache and misery, only one event in his life had made him breakdown in tears and scared him far more than a thousand decapitated Jenova heads ever could . . . the day his Mother died in the flames of Nibelheim.

Now that he was happy with his life, and all the sadness was over and done with, now that he had reasons to smile and just be happy for being alive. . .he had to relive that horrible day. . .and the woman he loved had to be dead by Sephiroth's hand, carrying his child.

Worse on **far** Worse.

The combination of the one day that plagued him—and would most likely for the rest of his life—and the one thing that made it all the more brighter, brought together by fire and blood.

The reason he went to Nibelheim alone.

When they all journeyed to the small mountain village three years ago and left after discovering that he'd "_lied_" to their faces about the destruction and Sephiroth, he'd thought he'd never come back.

He was wrong.

Maneuvering safely along the debris and craggy terrain, he let his mind wander, not wanting to dwell on screams, and flames, and mako, and people drenched in red.

Pushing it all to the back of his mind, he noticed it was getting dark, the shadows growing taller and darker as the sky turned multiple shades of oranges, pinks, and purples. Reaching up quickly with his left hand, he took off his sunglasses.

He was surprised by what good time he made. When he'd first set off, he had planned to make, at the very least, a one week trip, but with Fenrir, the fact he wasn't dragging a whole squadron of bickering people behind him, and the fact that he wasn't wasting time hiding from Shin-Ra in every city he crossed, it went by a lot quicker than he expected. He had boarded the boat in Junon the very day he left, granted, it was almost midnight but it was still the same day.

'_Still. . ._' he thought. Giving the bike a bit more gas, he sped along the path, approaching the gates, '_it would have been nice for everyone to be there._' He knew how crazy they all drove him when they were tracking down Sephiroth. He also knew how a fight broke out almost every ten minutes. But . . . they were his friends, and he would have liked to go back to Nibelheim with them even if it meant he had to break up a few quarrels here and there. He didn't want to face his past alone, but, he had no other choice. This was something he had to sort out himself.

Fenrir glided along the earth smoothly as he exited Midgar's ruins.

His lips formed a tight line as he thought about that last train of thought, about his friends . . . their friends. When would they find out? The way things were going, it felt like they'd never know, like he'd never get the chance to tell them all that he and Aerith were bringing a new life into the world, that they were pregnant.

Cloud's eyes widened and he clenched his teeth, bowing his head in shame as his mind registered what he'd just thought. '_Shit! I just said "_we're"_ pregnant! I am __**NOT **__one of __**THOSE **__people!_' He mentally kicked himself over, and over, and over again. '_Cid and Barret wouldn't have let me forget that one. . ._' His body went lax, and again the vexing thought returned. Shaking his head, he spurred Fenrir a bit faster, a horrifying revelation coming to him, '_When are we going to tell Elmyra?_'

He'd completely forgotten about his mother-in-law! The middle aged woman who truly believed he was the devil incarnate.

She was going to be the grandmother of his child.

". . . I'm dead."

* * *

Reno reached for the knob of the door. Just as he was as about to turn it, he hesitated, releasing his hold and knocking lightly on the wood instead. From behind it, he could hear Elmyra's soft singing stop, and then her voice calling to him, so quietly, he had to strain his ears to hear it, "Come in."

Turning the knob, he pushed the door open, but never let his hand fall from it. The older woman was sitting on the edge of the bed, cradling her daughter's head in her lap, and running her fingers gently through her russet hair. Aerith was fast asleep, lying awkwardly across the bed, hair pooling all around her, and the covers draping over her curves clumsily, parts of her covered while others weren't. Reno had to fight a blush as Elmyra acknowledged him, putting a finger to her lips to warn him to be quiet.

". . . You've been up here for a while, you can go, we—"

"No." Even though it was a whisper, he could still hear the sharp edge in her voice. Her gaze returned to watching her hands glide through her daughter's chestnut colored locks. She sighed, closing her eyes, she spoke again in a softer tone, "It's alright. I can stay."

"Me an' Rude aren't authorized to leave yet, so it'll be fine if you get settled down somewhere and then come back," The crimson haired Turk suggested. Elmyra still refused to look up, focus entirely on the desk in the corner, like the secrets of the universe were written in every miniscule crack and crevice of the wood. There was a long silence.

"No," Elmyra whispered, voice soft and gentle compared to the "no" before it. Reno shrugged, lips parting to ask if she needed anything, when she interrupted him, "Where is Cloud?" The Turk froze. Shuffling nervously, he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"I uh, don't know."

Another sigh escaped the older woman, and she studied her daughter's face. Mumbling something under her breath, she looked up at him and nodded, whispering a 'thank you anyway' and he took the hint. Turning on his heel and letting himself out, what she thought he didn't hear buzzed around in his mind: Why him, Aerith?

When he left, Elmyra shook her head to herself. '_Why, why, why?_' was all she could think. She hadn't seen Aerith for almost six months and hadn't spoken to her for three, and now she knew why. Her daughter was _pregnant_. Pregnant! She was only twenty five! She was still a baby . . . Elmyra's eyes widened and her shoulders sagged, '_No. Not a baby. Not anymore._'

She had a husband, a house of her own, and was practically a mother to Marlene and Denzel already, but, she guessed that's how she was with all children.

Children were just so drawn to Aerith, they loved her and she loved them, she just had that air about her, and not only with children she soon discovered as her daughter began to mature. Aerith had befriended almost every child when they lived in the slums. They came to her for help and for play, and she was always there, offering a gentle smile, playing a new game, or patching an up an owie. Her daughter could have easily stayed at home, hiding under the covers in her room while the Turks prowled around, but instead, she chose to go out, and live as much of her life as she could under the god awful plate that kept them there.

Even now children looked up to her. She couldn't think of one who didn't. Elmyra smiled, humming softly, before singing again, thinking back farther. When Aerith entered her life, she constantly had nightmares. The older woman felt tears well up in the corners of her eyes as she watched her daughter sleep. She remembered . . . she remembered always going up to her room, and sitting at her bedside, running her fingers through her hair and singing gentle lullabies until she fell asleep . . . then as the months went by and she began to accept herself as her mother, and Aerith began to accept herself as her daughter, cradling her in her arms as she cried, singing and singing and singing until her daughter fell asleep and the nightmares began to slowly but surely fade away.

'_It wasn't fair_,' she thought, using her free hand to wipe away her own tears, '_a girl as young as her had gone to hell and back_.' Maybe that was why she cared for children so greatly. Her own mother and father had been taken from her and she was left all alone, she didn't want that to happen to anyone else. '_And maybe that's why children loved _her _so much_.' All the normal aspects of her childhood had been stolen from her by Shin-Ra, and maybe, just maybe, all the children who loved her wanted to help her too, by giving her all the fun and carefree times that she missed. All that she never had.

Elmyra's voice failed her, and she laughed gently. Aerith's sleeping figure reminded her too much of the days when she was just a small girl, all alone in the world and scared, but brave enough to smile and laugh like everything was all right.

Fixing the covers carefully over her so she wouldn't get cold, Elmyra's smile faltered.

She was going to be a grandmother. A _grandmother_. Her little girl was going to give birth to a beautiful baby (of course the baby was going to be beautiful, Aerith was beautiful and even though Cloud was annoying, he was probably the most handsome man in Edge), and she was going to be there for every milestone in its life. She was going to love this child as much as she loved Aerith.

Aerith Strife was going to be a wonderful mother.

Reno jumped over the back of the couch, landing on the cushions with a loud thump, and making Rude bounce from the force of it. Rude looked lazily at Reno, arms still crossed over his chest, "Are they alright?"

Reno leaned back, stretching out, "Yeah they're alright. Was getting a little too mother-daughtery up there for me, so—"

"You bailed." It wasn't even a question for the older man. He knew his partner like the back of his hand, he was predictable, the typical "man" when it came to women and their feelings.

"Elmyra looked like she was gonna cry! 'Sides Aerith was asleep anyway! What'd ya want me to do? Stare at her and her mom until she wakes up?" The younger Turk pushed Rude playfully, "You're creepy man!" The bald Turk only turned back in front of him to the television, and Reno followed suit, wondering what type of show could have possibly attracted his attention, only to be met with a black screen. His fiery eyebrows drew together, turning to Rude, he gave him an incredulous look, ". . . you've been staring at a TV that's not even on the whole time we've been here?"

"We're working."

"Aerith's asleep and her mom's with her, we can do whatever we want as long as we stay in the house."

Reaching over to the coffee table in front of them, he grabbed the remote and turned it on. He stretched out again as he flipped through the channels, "It's all about loopholes my friend!"

"The Director should be back any minute."

"So what?" Reno said, still flipping away, "He's not gonna kill us for watching a little TV, is he?"

"You never know, this is Aerith after all."

Reno stopped, pale blue eyes going slightly larger, and he sighed, "You're right." Turning to his left, he stared at Rude as he thought of what to say and how to even start, ". . . They kissed didn't they?"

"What do you think?"

"I dunno," The crimson haired Turk said exasperatedly, "He has the hots for her and everything, but he's with Elena, I don't know what to think. One side'a me thinks 'Yeah he definitely went for it', and the other side of me thinks 'No, he's faithful to Laney'."

Rude was silent, the colors from the television dancing on his shades.

Reno raised an eyebrow at him, "And from the look you're givin' me, he did kiss her." Reno sighed leaning his head back on the soft cushions of the sofa, ". . . do we tell her? I mean, they weren't exactly _together _when he did it, but. . ."

"Tseng should be the one to tell her."

Reno watched him from the corner of his eyes and shrugged, "Yeah . . . I guess you're right."

_"Oh, beautiful! And only 15,000 gil! What a steal!"_

Reno's attention was thrown back to the TV and he stuck his tongue out, "Gross, the shopping channel!" Picking up the remote, he sneered, "Why couldn't these stay dead?"

_"Our next item is this sexy, lace lingerie! Ladies call now because this piece will drive your man crazy!"_

Reno's face lit up instantly, "Hello!"

Rude took the remote from Reno and changed it to a movie. The redhead gasped as if the older man had burned him, and struggled to get it back, Rude's iron lock on his face the only thing preventing him from retrieving the remote and judging the piece for himself.

Rude smirked, "And I'm the creepy one."

The door opened and they immediately turned to who had entered. Tseng was standing in front of the door, jacket hanging over his arm, and his free hand working his tie lose. A man in a white coat stood behind him, he held a brief case in one hand and a stethoscope hung around his neck. He was the doctor who had inspected Aerith the day before.

They both stood up and walked over to them. The doctor's other hand came to rest on the handle of his case to hold it in front of him, "How is Mrs. Strife feeling?"

Rude folded his hands at his front, "She's doing better. The color has returned to her skin, and she can sit up just fine, we had a small problem with standing but she said that's been happening for a while now, on and off."

"On and off?" The doctor's brows drew together and he looked to Tseng, "I was only able to get a heartbeat from the baby yesterday, so now that she's up I'd like to do a full analysis."

"Of course," Rude and Tseng said simultaneously, leaving Reno to mentally curse himself for not saying it too.

"This way," Tseng said leading him up the stairs.

"I assume she's eaten, that's very essential. A woman of her age can go for days without nourishment and still survive but a developing child cannot."

"She has. I made sure of that," Tseng said stopping at the door to Aerith's bedroom. He knocked lightly, "Elmyra, we're coming in."

Opening the door, he let the doctor in first, Reno and Rude trailing after him, and finally entered himself. Elmyra was gently trying to place Aerith back on the bed without waking her, and after freeing her leg, she stood, straightening out the rest of her daughter's body to look a little more. . .presentable. Shaking her shoulder gingerly, she called out her name, "Aerith, Aerith, sweetheart wake up."

She moaned softly, turning her head in the other direction. The doctor sat down in the chair by her bedside and opened up his brief case, going through the contents while Elmyra woke her up. Aerith turned her head again, facing them all before her long eyelashes fluttered open, eyes still fogged over from sleep. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up, Elmyra placing a hand on her back and shoulder to catch her, just in case. Breathing deeply, she lay back down, adjusting herself this time to sit up with her back propped up by the pillows.

Elmyra turned to the Turks, face unreadable, "May one of you please go to Cloud's office and bring me the chair in there, it's the next door down, you can't miss it." Rude nodded before the others could even get a word out, exiting the room in search of the chair.

Closing the brief case the doctor turned to Aerith with a gentle smile, "Hello, Mrs. Strife. How are you feeling right now?"

Reno turned to Tseng, whispering in the older man's ear, "Didn't he just ask us that?" Tseng held his hand up, a signal for him to be quiet, his eyes never leaving Aerith.

"I . . .," She started, green orbs looking strangely glassy, "I'm feeling better . . . I guess."

"You guess?"

Her fingers curled around each other and she watched them, seemingly fascinated, "I am. I am."

"Do you mind telling me what happened?"

"No, not at all . . . I was . . .," she thought back, trying to recount everything and every little detail. She didn't want to leave anything out, "I'd just woken up and talked to my . . . to my husband." Aerith's neutral demeanor fell even more.

"He left. I walked down stairs and was just taking things out of the cupboards to start breakfast when I felt pain."

"What type of pain?"

"Just . . . pain."

Rude came back in with the chair Elmyra wanted, and she told him to place it on the other side of the bed. Setting it down, Elmyra rounded the mattress, nodding and whispering a thank you as she sat down. Aerith stopped, still trying to recall every detail she could about that morning, "Before it—when I was walking down the stairs—I felt a little. . .sick. . .but I'd thought it was from. . .the conversation I had with my husband before it."

Elmyra took Aerith's hand, holding it gently while mouthing the word "conversation".

The doctor gave a non-too discrete look at Tseng, returning to Aerith when the raven haired Turk gave him a questioning raised eyebrow.

"Then when I did feel the "full" pain, it felt like someone took a knife and just started . . . stabbing. . ."

The doctor moved wordlessly, putting the stethoscope on, and pressing it to her chest, sliding it under her night gown just a little bit to better hear her heart. "Breathe in," she inhaled, "Breath out," she exhaled. "Steady heartbeat." Removing it from her chest, he took the buds out of his ears and hung it around his neck once more. "Continue."

". . . I sat down. I was starting to sweat and black spots were clouding my vision . . . and the rest is obvious."

The doctor's face was cast in stone and he took a pen from the case, jotting down words on a notepad, "How far along are you?"

"Three months."

Elmyra smiled at Aerith, her grip on her daughter's hand tightening gently.

"You're blood work came back, everything looks fine, and your EMR shows nothing that could have triggered this. . ." He flipped through more papers, scanning over each one carefully. "Your husband informed me of all your general information, so—"

"My husband?" Aerith asked wide-eyed, everyone in the room looked at the obstetrician with similar faces. He on the other hand, looked very much confused.

"Why, yes," he looked up at Tseng, "He let me know everything yesterday."

Everyone immediately turned to the raven haired Turk, a blush painting his features as Aerith raised an eyebrow at him and Elmyra crossed her arms.

"No, you must be mistaken, I'm not her husband!" He said, hands raised like the action would defend him.

The floor creaked in the corner of the room and Aerith looked up quickly. Cloud stood in the doorway, holding a small bouquet. His light blonde eyebrows were drawn together in confusion and his lips had parted.

"Cloud. . ." she whispered.

"What's going on here?" He demanded, voice sharp and concerned; the flowers slipped from his grasp as soon as his eyes fell on the doctor. Crossing the room as fast as he could, he dropped to his knees at her side. Aerith broke out of her mother's hold on her hand and sat up, reaching out and wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. She buried her head in the crook of his neck as his arms wrapped around her carefully.

"I'm so happy you're okay. . ." She whispered. He turned into her, her hair tickling his face, and kissed her on the spot right before her ear. Here she was, surrounded by, the Turks, her mother, and a doctor and she was glad that _he _was the _okay _one?

He looked over her shoulder at Elmyra, whose face was cast in stone. "What happened?" He whispered. His mother-in-law crossed her arms over her chest, looking the other way.

". . . I was . . . just in the middle of explaining," the man behind him spoke quietly. Cloud nodded, moving to pull away but Aerith wouldn't let go.

"Aerith, sweetheart . . .," Elmyra whispered, placing a hand on her back, "You need to lie down." She held onto him tighter before loosening her hold, then slowly pulling away, plopping back down on the pillows, her eyes never leaving his. She smiled beautifully at him.

The room was quiet. Elmyra looked at the hands in her lap, and cleared her throat, ". . . Cloud."

He looked up at her wordlessly, she continued, "Come with me. Please." She stood, walking over to the door and waiting for him to follow suit. All eyes were on Cloud now, as he took her daughter's hand in his own and pressed it gently to his lips. Standing, he let Aerith go, and walked towards her. She stepped aside to let him out first, and then closed the door behind her. "Office," was all she muttered. Cloud gave her a wary look, but opened the door to his office anyway, letting her inside first.

As soon as he closed the door, she slapped him hard across the face.

The sound echoed in the quiet room, and his eyes were wide, head turned somewhat from the force.

"How dare you," she seethed, the calm façade she tried so desperately to maintain shattering.


	12. Plans

Hello everyone.

Well, it seems I'm back with chapter twelve, and for right now, this is the only chapter that can be assured so far. With the combination of my friends at school (yes Unseensilverwind, that means YOU) nagging me to go back to my story that first couple of weeks and then again recently, and me finally finishing all my spring break homework after two days of procrastination, I have decided to update while I can.

Very short hiatus.

The next break between chapters should be a lot longer, and I'm not making any promises to update in what little spare time I have in the future. School really has been tough on me, and after all my hard work, I have gotten nothing but disappointments, so another chapter will not be for a while.

**Also**, I'd like to thank the people who encouraged me and were nice enough to even be understanding about my hiatus, **BUT, I'D ALSO LIKE TO BRING UP SOMETHING ELSE! **I really did not appreciate some of the **rude** private messages I received since the last update, I'd like to think most of us are mature.

Anyway, Disclaimer: FFVII and all its characters, locations, and awesomeness belong to SQUARE-ENIX. I don't own anything besides for the plot and Aerith's bun in the oven.

Enjoy!

* * *

The coffee smelled strong.

Reaching out hesitantly, he wrapped his hand around the mug, palms warming and sweat beginning to build slightly between his fingers. Inhaling slowly, he breathed it in, savoring it's warmth in the unrealistically cold evening.

Tilting the cup towards him, Reeve stared at his reflection in the dark brown mirror. He just couldn't shake the feeling . . . something was wrong.

Setting his cup down on the table, he looked over his shoulder at the empty booths and cleared tables of the busiest bar in the city. Feeling through the material of his coat, he touched the letter, making sure it was still there and heaved a sigh of relief. He was already uneasy about it as it was, but then—

"Are you okay, Reeve?"

He looked up to meet Tifa's concerned dark eyes, always maternal for a woman as young as she was. Nodding, he slipped on a smile, "I'm fine, just . . . thinking."

She only stared at him, the corners of her pink lips twitching downwards. Turning her back to him, he could hear the faint sound of clinking, and then she was turning around again with coffee pot in hand.

"What about?"

A real smile replaced the fraudulent one before it, and he chuckled, casting a brief glance her way before lowering his eyes once more to the ebony bar's surface. The bell above the door chimed and she looked up to the group of people who had walked in. Smiling at her patrons, she refilled his cup, "Welcome to the Seventh Heaven," and placing the pot back in the machine, she reached for a bowl and the bag of pretzels she always kept off to the side. '_Sneaky, sneaky_,' he thought, smirking as she placed the bowl on the table beside him.

Returning to his mug, he lifted it to his lips, blowing gently before sipping. Flicking her dark hair out of her eyes, Tifa moved to the other end of the bar to service the customers when she stopped.

He was thrown back into reality when a hand squeezed his forearm. He looked up and met her dark auburn eyes. She smiled at him, squeezing just the slightest bit tighter before loosening again, "We'll finish talking later, okay?"

A small smile crossed his face and he nodded slowly. Letting go of his arm, she continued on her way, "What can I get you?"

Returning to his coffee, he sipped once more, taking a glance at the clock on the radio. 6:20. Resting his cup back on the table, he sighed. What was he still doing here?

Loud footsteps came down the stairs, and it was no surprise when Marlene rounded the corner, rushing straight behind the bar towards Tifa. He stared at the young girl, stunned at how much she'd grown since the last time he'd seen her (which he surprisingly didn't notice when Aerith's mother first dropped her and Denzel off), and by the realization that the last time he'd seen her was, almost, four years ago.

'_Wow_,' he thought, '_has the time really gone by that fast?_'

Marlene stepped behind Tifa, tugging at the barmaid's hand, "Tifa?"

Said woman turned, smiling at her, "What's the matter?"

Marlene tilted her head, face drawing into a look of concern, "Have we gotten any calls from Elmyra? Or Daddy? Elmyra's been gone a long time, and she said she'd come back and bring us to Aerith's house. And Daddy, the first time we've been home in a long time and he's not here!"

Tifa's gentle smile turned into a grin and she put her hands on her hips, "What's the hurry? You trying to leave me already?"

The little girl's chocolate colored eyes widened and she shook her head quickly, pink ribbon flying left and right. "No, that's not what I meant!" Tifa ruffled the girls hair, laughing.

"I know, I know."

Marlene looked down, "It's just—"

"Marlene?"

They looked up to see Denzel coming down the stairs, the young boy stopped on the last step, hand on the railing. He paused, eyes shining, but it was obvious that he was trying to hide it, "Any calls from Elmyra yet?"

Suddenly, Tifa understood. Just how long _had_ it been since the last time Denzel had been home? Marlene shook her head silently 'no'. The hopeful glitter in his eyes vanished, and he forced a smile.

"Oh, okay." He moved to go back up only to stop, mid turn, "Are you coming back up, Marlene? We could finish the puzzle while we wait for Elmyra to call." Marlene smiled at him, nodding.

"Yeah." Stepping round the bar, she ran back the way she came and followed Denzel up the stairs, talking all the way.

They disappeared out of sight and yet Reeve could still hear the small girl chatting away happily, "So I think that weird thing in the corner of it might be a duck!"

He chuckled to himself, amazed at how quickly they changed subjects. Children never ceased to amuse him. Tifa walked back to him, eyes trained on the empty staircase. "Barret will definitely get an earful when he gets back," she mused allowed.

Reeve glanced at her from the corner of his eye before turning back around in his chair, "Come on, Tifa. Don't be so rough on him; he's only trying to stabilize us with a less . . . harmful, fuel source."

'Harmful' was putting the term lightly. Mako energy had nearly destroyed the planet; there wasn't a word gruesome enough to describe it in his book. Barret was really doing one hell of a job right now, since the populace had been reliant on mako for forty years, you could almost say that the earth was **abundant** with oil right now. Oil drilling had been completely forgotten once mako energy was introduced.

Tifa's mouth fell open, but her eyes were playful as she stared at him, crossing her arms over her chest like she couldn't believe he'd just said that, "I wasn't talking about me, I was talking about Marlene." His only response was to shrug before taking another sip of his coffee. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the rag lying next to the sink and began to wipe the bar down quietly. It wasn't long before she glanced at him again, then back to the table, "Do you really think I'm hard on _everybody_?"

Reeve looked up again, placing his cup down. He wasn't sure if she wanted to know what he was going to say. "If I remember correctly, you constantly gave Cloud a hard time," he said into his cup. He stopped, realizing exactly _how_ he'd put it, and added quickly in an attempt to save his own skin, "Sometimes."

This time, her mouth fell open for real. The hand wiping down the counter stopped, and he knew his end was near. Tilting her head, she laughed, but it didn't sound light or cheery, if anything, it sounded deadly.

"First of all," She said, and he was surprised he wasn't knocked out on the floor right now; the subject of Cloud was a bit of a touchy one nowadays. He didn't know why, three months ago she was fine with him, and now— "You can't use Cloud to prove anything," she laughed, "think about it! All the things he's done in the last three years!" Moving, she resumed wiping down the table, but with a little more force than she had intended, "You have to give me that one. To think I was the only one who cared enough to wonder where he disappeared to for months without a call or even a trace to where he was going is a little bit sad don't you think?" He swore pure venom was dripping from her voice.

But she was right.

She was the only one who knew, so she was the only one who could help. Boy, did he suddenly feel like an ass.

"Never mind," he said, "You're right, I'm sorry."

She ceased moving, lips forming a tight line. Pushing her bangs out of her eyes, she spoke, "You've been talking with him?"

"Not recently."

"When . . . was the last time you did?"

He was surprised, to say the least, of the distressed look on her face, after all, he'd just stupidly informed her that Cloud complained about her. They were closer than he'd thought. People who had weak bonds would never speak to each other again after a revelation like that, much less go through the catastrophes that the two had been through in their short lives; they were both in their mid-twenties after all.

"About a month, maybe two months ago."

She looked down, biting her lip, "Not once, recently?"

"No. Not any time recently," he said.

It was quiet. Putting the rag away, she turned back to him, "Reeve, three days ago you asked me where Aerith lived."

"Yes."

"I'm just curious, why haven't you gone yet?"

Reeve's eyes widened and he sat up straight. "That's a good question."

She tilted her head at him, not sure where this was going. Sliding off of his stool, he stood and reached in his back pocket. Placing a few Gil notes on the table, he put his wallet back in his pocket, "I'm going to find out." Smiling at her, he walked away and out the door.

Picking up the notes in front of her, she did a double take. It was _definitely_ more than enough for what the coffee cost, apparently he didn't know the meaning of free refills. Subtracting the actual cost from what was given her, she put it in the cash register and the rest in her pocket, reminding herself to put it somewhere safe so she could return it to him the next time she saw him.

Reeve held his jacket closer to him. The sun had gone down casting the city in adumbral shades of purple as night fell and stars began to twinkle here and there, dusting the sky with sparkles of white. Fishing out his phone, he flipped it open and entered his contacts list. Pressing send on a name, he started walking down the sidewalk, not knowing where he was going.

"_Hello?_"

"Name a place and I'll meet you there. I need to know what's going on, and you're going to tell me."

"_I was heading back, is it that important?_"

"Do you care about her?" Reeve knew he couldn't back out of this one. The other end of the line went silent, but Reeve waited patiently, knowing the answer before he even asked the question.

"_. . . Where am I going?_"

Reeve smiled, "I don't know, you've kept me waiting for three days. Where would you find appropriate?"

This whole thing was driving him insane. He knew only what he was told, which wasn't much. A sense of foreboding had become his shadow for the past few weeks, and it was something he could neither analyze nor understand.

_"Meet me at Johnny's, you can explain to me there."_

"I have nothing to explain, in fact, it's quite the opposite. No more games, I want answers. You and I both know being caught up in something like this is the last thing she needs."

_"I can't promise you anything."_

"But you can at least give me _something_."

There was another pause, and Reeve began walking again, raising his hand to hail a cab.

_". . ."_

"Fine. We'll discuss this later." A cab turned on its blinker and pulled up at his side, opening the door, he seated himself on the puce leather and glanced at his watch.

"Where to?"

Reeve was still waiting for a reply but slid his cell away briefly, "North Outskirts. Johnny's, please."

The car pulled back into the main street and turned a corner, circling the Seventh Heaven to make an elongated u-turn.

_"Don't get your hopes up." _The number and name on his phone flashed, signaling the end of the call. Snapping his phone shut, he stowed it away in the deepest reaches of his pocket and gazed out the window, reading the street names on the poles and next to the traffic lights. He mentally noted them all, remembering Tifa's directions, and stared as the metallic buildings and dingy atmosphere melted away into barren dirt roads paved into a dry cracked earth. Night had fallen; amaranthine clouds lined with silver blocked the moon from view. The expanse was completely desolate where the city stopped, and the wasteland began, it was hard to believe there was a time long ago when there had been nothing but grass for as far as the eye could see.

He frowned.

Leaning back in his seat, he folded his arms over his chest, vaguely remembering when he was small, and the wonderful stories his mother would tell of her own childhood, and all the magnificent things that grew from the soil and sprouted beautifully.

His mother had always loved to garden. Even as the years passed and the soil grew feckless, she had still tried to make the most out of the earth, or at least that's what Denzel had said.

He gasped as he bounced in his seat, being thrown back into reality as the terrain grew bumpy.

"You might want to hang on to something," the cab driver threw over his shoulder, eyes somehow never leaving the road, something Reeve was very grateful for. It was assuring.

Looking out the window again, he was surprised to see the bright lights of Johnny's in the distance, "That was quick," he thought aloud.

"Yeah, easy night! Streets were empty so we got here in half the time. I tell ya, this city has the worst traffic problem in the history of history!" Slowly but surely the road began to even out as the cab pulled into the light from Johnny's' lamps. From what he could see, all but two tables were empty, a group of laughing teenagers occupying one, and a lone figure at the other, seated far from the adolescents practically dying of laughter as they pounded their fists on the table and tears leaked from their eyes.

Straightening out his jacket, he leaned forward, "How much do I owe you?"

The cab driver paused, seemingly taken aback he didn't have to ask, "300 gil."

"More than reasonable," Reeve said removing the needed amount from his wallet, and then handing it to the driver.

"Yeah? If we were on the other side of town then it'd be a different story," the driver laughed stowing the money away.

Reeve patted him on the shoulder, "Thank you," and opening the door, he let himself out. It was even colder here than it was in Edge. The cab backed out of the light as soon as he had closed the door and drove out of sight, back to the city. He walked through the gate briskly, scanning the area for the lone figure, and found him sitting at the table closest to the bar. He also found Johnny, wiping down the tables as he leered at a pretty raven haired girl sitting on the lap of a brunette boy, her arm around his neck as she snickered in the most unladylike manner.

Johnny was something, a piece of work. He headed towards the table, ignoring the kids and their loud shouts and cackles at something he was certain he wouldn't understand, and sat down at the table with the only other patron there.

"And here I thought I'd shown up early," Reeve said, sitting up straight in his chair.

Tseng stared back at him, eyes exerting a cold business like tension they hadn't used with each other in what felt like years.

Reeve's face was cast in stone. He was tired of getting nothing but silence from the other man, it felt like he thought this was all just a joke.

"You were saying?" Tseng finally said, moving an empty glass to the other end of the table.

Reeve opened his mouth to speak but closed it once more when Johnny rushed towards them. Thrusting out his hands, he gripped the edge of the table as he looked over his shoulder at the only other occupied table, his red hair hanging in his eyes from the run, "I swear to crap, that chick looks like a girl I used to know!"

Reeve and Tseng just stared back at him, blinking, "What?"

"Ah, nothing, just thinking out loud!" Johnny laughed, scooping up Tseng's cup, turning to Reeve, he leaned on the table, "Anything for you?"

He shook his head, "Thank you, but no."

"Whatever you say!" Johnny grinned, looking towards the other table once more before heading back to the bar.

Both he and Tseng watched him go, and as soon as he was out of earshot, Tseng spoke, "We better get this over with. I have to go back to Shin-Ra in twenty minutes."

"Is that all this is to you? A game?"

Tseng's brows furrowed. Reeve leaned back in his chair, and laying his hand flat against the table, he examined all the lines and creases in his skin, "I thought you were better than this, Tseng. I thought you actually cared about her."

"What makes you think I don't?"

Reeve looked up, eyes boring into the other man's black orbs, "The fact that you and Rufus are pulling me this way and that."

"Rufus?"

"He's behind this. I don't have to interrogate you to know that," he said sternly, "Tseng. You're my friend, but you can't keep hiding this from me, or from her."

"I haven't hidden anything from her; I've presented her with everything she needs to know and stated my own position in this, there's nothing more to tell."

"Oh really?"

"Why the sarcasm?" Tseng said, stone-faced as he briefly glanced at his watch.

Reeve glared, crossing his right leg over the other, he reached into his coat and removed the letter. Tseng raised a brow as the white envelope slid across the table towards him and slowed to a stop. He hesitated, then, making up his mind, he grasped the letter and flipped open the neatly torn flap, fishing for the folded paper that was the letter. He tossed the envelope on the table, feeling Reeve's eyes on him, and unfolded the paper.

Reeve watched silently, waiting for it to sink in as the raven haired Turk scanned the paper, unfazed at first, then, slowly but surely, brow furrowing deeper and deeper as he continued to read. Tseng's eyes finally widened.

Reeve played with a button on his coat, "Would Elena still want to be with you if she knew you were a part of that?"

Tseng looked up, lips parted, and speechless. Reeve met his eyes again, reading every emotion on the other man's face, "Would Aerith still want to be your friend?"

Tseng reread the letter over again, "What does this mean?"

Reeve leaned back, "It means trouble for her children. Knowing Aerith, that's far in the future, we still have time to stop this."

The raven haired Turk's skin turned an icy white sheen, draining of all traces of color. Running his fingers through his hair, he gripped his forehead tightly, "No. No we don't."

Reeve could only stare, he was confused, "What do you mean?"

Tseng leaned on the table, hiding his face in his hands, "There's something I haven't told you."

* * *

_An Hour Earlier . . ._

* * *

The sound of skin smacking skin echoed about the quiet room.

His eyes were wide, mouth open the slightest bit in surprise and cheek tingeing a soft blush of rose.

Elmyra was a small woman, not by any means strong or intimidating in any sense but the verbal, yet he found himself, head turned from the force of her slap and eyes readjusting from the sudden blurriness that had clouded over him.

"How dare you," she whispered through clenched teeth, hands balling up into fists at her sides. He looked back to his mother in law and opened his mouth to speak when tears started forming in the older woman's hazel orbs. "**How **_**dare**_** you**," she repeated with narrowed eyes and a raised finger, jabbing into his chest, venom dripping with every word.

"Elmyra—"

"What I saw," she spoke slowly, spacing her words far enough to make the message she was very, _very_ upset known, "in that room," she paused, never once looking away from him as she pointed towards the door, "made. Me. Sick."

His eyes widened. Brows drawing together, he opened his mouth to speak, yet again, when her finger shot up and pressed against his lips, silencing him. "For some reason," Elmyra laughed, "I don't know why, my daughter didn't throw you out the second you took one step in that room." The finger on his lips moved down to stab him sharply in the chest. "For some reason, my daughter was blind enough to wrap her arms around you and hold you close, like YOU were the pregnant woman left all alone in her house for three days!" She drew closer to him. Eyes narrowing even further dangerously as something deep within her boiled over dangerously, "**Unconscious**."

"Wha—"

"What is it about you, Cloud? Why, out of all the people on this planet, does my daughter love _you_? Because right now, I don't see a single reason for you to even be in the same galaxy as her."

Cloud stepped forward, ready to defend himself against the she-devil his wife called 'mother', "I didn't know!"

"That's always it isn't it? That's how it's going to be for the rest of our lives! An **excuse**!" She shouted, throwing her arms up in the air, "Oh, I didn't know! Oh, I'm too weak! Oh, excuses, excuses, excuses!"

Elmyra Gainsborough considered herself a very calm and reasonable woman, strong for her family and herself, but she had held back her feelings for the past three going on four years. Every pent up feeling of frustration towards Cloud Strife was letting itself lose, and there was nothing she could do to stop it now, even if she wanted to. The tide had finally turned; she wasn't going to stand in the dark any longer, "You didn't know! Know what? Your wife and child collapsed to the floor twenty minutes after you left them!"

Cloud drew back, his defensive stance falling, and replacing it, a look of hopelessness and defeat as he turned away.

"I never thought I'd ever say this in my life," Elmyra said, arms crossing over her chest, "but the Turks may have very well saved her life . . . and her baby's."

Cloud was silent, still not daring to meet her eyes. But that's what he always did, she thought to herself, he pretended like his problems weren't there, and that they would all go away eventually. It was cowardly. Her hands clenched tightly, nails biting into her palms, "Do you not _care_?"

Those three words pulled the trigger.

His eyes were blazing when he looked up, body tense, and brows furrowed, "Of course I care," he said, using the same quiet tone she had, a promise of death.

She stepped towards him, not at all afraid of the legendary soldier she called her son in law.

"Then prove it."

He bristled, trying—but failing—to keep what little of his decency and self control that remained intact. "I've been to the end of the world and back for **her**, I actually gave a damn when the planet was in danger because **she** lives on it! What more could you possibly ask of me?" He asked loudly, holding himself back from yelling.

"How about actually being there for her?" Elmyra asked, "Not all of _this _nonsense!"

"I'm sorry, okay!" He snapped. Elmyra didn't look convinced, moving her hands to her hips; she only continued to glare at him. "You have no idea, how much I feel like shit right now!" Elmyra was the last person he wanted to swear in front of, but he knew no other word accurate enough. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down. _'1 . . . . 2 . . . . 3 . . . 4 . . .' _

Running his hand through his hair he breathed in again, and taking a chance, met eyes with Elmyra. "Look. I love Aerith, and as much as you hate the fact she loves me too, she does. I know what I did was wrong, and I'll never forgive myself for the rest of my life, but Aerith has, and her forgiveness is the only one that matters."

Elmyra raised her finger up again, ready to grab, jab, and accuse, but he wouldn't let her. For the first time in their argument, maybe even the first time in all the years they had known each other, _he_ cut _her_ off, "You're right. She should have yelled or kicked me out when she saw me, but she didn't." Shaking his head, he brushed past her and opened the door to the room.

Elmyra turned sharply, fuming, "Where do you think you're going? We're not done here."

Cloud looked over his shoulder, his hand still on the doorknob, "I'm going to see my wife." And with that said, he closed the door, leaving her in the office by herself.

"So everything seems pretty normal?" Reno asked, leaning on the footboard of the bed.

"Looks so. Aerith," the Doctor said, looking to her, "You are still adjusting to the changes in your body from the pregnancy; it'd be wise to just sit still for a couple of minutes before you get up from bed or anything where you'd be lying down."

Aerith nodded, holding a hand to the side of her head, "Thank you, I'll do that."

The Doctor smiled, and picking up his things, he began to pack them away in his briefcase. Tseng walked over and waited for him to finish before holding out his hand, "Thank you for seeing her, Doctor."

"Don't say a thing about it," the older gentleman laughed, taking Tseng's hand into his own. Turning to Aerith, he released the Turk's hand, "Now Aerith, if anything happens again, I want you to call me at this number," he said, removing a business card from his coat pocket and handing it to her, "I'll come and see you as soon as possible."

Aerith took the card silently, "Thank you, but . . . may I ask, where is this coming from exactly?"

Doctors didn't just assign themselves to random people they helped out. There was a process, they had to transfer files and data and information, they didn't just do hand-offs all willy nilly. It was strange.

"Shin-Ra, of course," the Doctor smiled. Her eyes widened, and she could feel her mouth fall open the slightest. "This was all planned a while ago, I was told you knew," he said matter-of-factly. His eyes widened and he snapped, scaring the crimson haired Turk still leaning on the footboard. He hadn't been paying attention at all to the things that weren't important.

Aerith stared at Tseng, still wide eyed, and he only offered an uncertain smile.

She turned back to be face to face with a cream colored envelope, half the size of a normal one, with her name written on the back of it. Placing the business card on her nightstand she took the envelope, emerald eyes dropping to it immediately. An intricate bronze colored seal held it shut, _'I didn't know they still made seals in times__ like these,'_ she thought, staring at the imprint left when it had dried.

It was the letter S.

"My employer requested of me to deliver this to you. I'd almost forgotten. Age really does a number on your memory!" He laughed. She faked a smile, wiping it off quickly as her eyes returned to the envelope in her hand.

"Thank you . . . very much."

"Let me walk you out," Tseng said, following the older man outside.

Reno sat down on the mattress beside her and glanced at the envelope, his pale blue eyes flickered to her face, then back to her hands, then to her face again, "It's from the President."

She looked up, her countenance a mixture of distress and exhaustion, and biting her lip, she nodded, "I thought as much." She should have known, all the pieces had been right before her eyes. Did she really want to open it? The last time she had spoken to Rufus Shinra had reopened wounds she thought had been shut for good. She sighed, closing her eyes, then opening them again and looked to Rude, then Reno, and then lastly, to the envelope.

Slipping her finger under the flap, she began to tear it open.

With some difficulty, the seal came off, and she watched on, feeling as if she wasn't in her own body, as she gingerly removed the letter and unfolded it.

A sudden ringing made her jump, and Reno shot up from the bed as quickly as he could from her sudden movement, face pale. Aerith touched her cheek, eyes flying to Tseng as he picked up the source of the ringing and brought it to his ear, "Hello?" She hadn't even noticed him come back.

Quickly bringing her attention back to the letter, she held her breath as she read:

_Aerith,_

_I told you I'd come for you when you needed me._

—_Rufus_

A few stray strands of hair fell before her eyes but she didn't move them out of the way. She felt frozen, wanting to scream, wanting to cry, wanting to rip the letter up into millions of tiny pieces, wanting to do so many things, but she didn't. Her body made the decision for her; she scowled crumpling up the paper and trapped it in between her hands, "What is he thinking?"

Reno and Rude were silent as she shook her head, talking to no one in particular, "That, that _**dummy**_! What a waste of trees!" She shouted. Locking her sights on Reno, she pointed at him, "Reno! Take this to the kitchen and put it in the recycling! He probably killed a whole tree getting that message to me and trees are something we need, we can't just go around wasting natural resources for one sentence, and we need trees to breath, if we run out of oxygen it's going to be his fault that everyone on the planet dies because he killed trees to make his stupid letter, I mean, there are a HUNDERED MILLION different ways he could have gotten that message to me, but no, he decided to use a fancy envelope and paper, he could have sent me an email or picked up the phone, did I mention he's a tree **killer**?" She rambled and shouted all at once, cheeks pink with rage, at a completely terrified crimson haired Turk, who only held the crumpled up ball to his chest with a look of utter fear in his eyes.

Before she could open her mouth to rant again, he bolted for the door in search of the recycling.

Aerith groaned, throwing herself back amongst the pillows and hiding her face in her hands.

"Don't get your hopes up."

She peeked up at Tseng through the gaps between her fingers and pulled her hands away from her face. "For what?" she asked quietly, resting the backs of her hands on her forehead. Tseng looked down at her and shook his head.

"I was just speaking to someone on the phone."

"Oh, sorry."

"It's fine," he assured her, putting his phone away, "but I do have to get going."

"Oh," she said as she sat up, and the sheets pooled around her hips, "See you later?" She asked. He smiled. Walking towards her, he wrapped his arms around her in a short embrace.

"Yes, later."

Aerith smiled, patting his back. They both pulled away and Aerith looked down, "Thank you for everything." Gazing across the room she smiled brightly at Rude, "Thank you too, who knows what could have happened if you guys hadn't have come?" Rude nodded as his own silent acknowledgement, but a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

Aerith watched as Tseng stepped up to the door, "Tell Elena I said hi!"

Reno ran up to the door as soon as Tseng disappeared and grinned triumphantly, "I think I found the recycling! Either that or I stuffed that paper in a random blue bin, but I still did it!"

"It took you that long?" Rude asked.

". . . It doesn't matter as long as it gets done!"

There was a click from down the hall, and Aerith listened closely as heavy footsteps made their way closer and closer to the bedroom. She glanced past Reno to the open door and within seconds, Cloud was standing there, knocking lightly on the doorframe.

"Can I come in?" He spoke softly, blue eyes fixed on her the whole time. She sat up straighter, lips moving to say yes when Reno did something she'd never thought he would. He stepped in front of Cloud, acting as a barrier between them. The usual charming grin and mischievous aura was stripped away within a matter of seconds.

"Why should you?" The crimson haired Turk asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Reno!" She cried, absolutely dumbfounded.

Cloud looked as if he had just been slapped by the other man, eyes widening to a size she never knew they could. The shocked expression melted away and his brows furrowed, face becoming deadly serious, "I was talking to her."

"Yeah? Well we've been assigned to protect her from anything that could harm her," Reno said as he grabbed Rude by the sleeve, and dragged him into the conversation, literally, "And if the past few days taught me anything, it's that you're a harm," he said. Lowering his eyes, he thought over that last sentence, ". . . ful."

Cloud's glower darkened, and she knew it meant the end for Reno. She had to stop this before it went any further; Cloud was a deadly man, even more so when he was angry. Aerith put her hands out, "Stop!"

All eyes were on her, and she brushed her hair out of her eyes, "Calm down, okay, it wasn't Cloud's fault!" Her eyes fell on her husband's face then back to Reno, "Reno, Rude, please, let me have a minute with him . . . please," she whispered. Reno couldn't deny the puppy dog eyes she was assaulting him with; he was too weak for mental attacks like that. He pouted, crossing his arms over his chest, and glared daggers at the floor.

"Fine," he grumbled, "com'mon Rude," the redhead groaned as he let himself out of the room with his partner trailing behind him, but not without sending a hard icy stare Cloud's way, "Your sixty seconds start now."

Cloud couldn't believe what just happened. Reno, of all people, was patronizing him just like Elmyra had done. Couldn't these people see just how sorry he was?

Closing the door behind him, he breathed heavily, and without thinking twice, he walked over to Aerith. He knelt on the floor, looking up at her through misplaced strands of hair. It seemed the whole world had turned on him in a matter of days. He didn't speak, and only did what he had wanted to do before he discovered all the trouble he had left behind. Cloud wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his cheek against the silky material of her nightgown and the bump of her tummy. Her arms draped over his shoulders and he felt his heart skip a beat when she rested her own cheek on his forehead, her chocolate colored hair merging with his light blonde spikes.

"I'm sorry."

Aerith's eyes fluttered open as she felt him shake his head against her. His breath hitched as he continued, "I'm sorry."

Kissing his forehead, she held his face in her hands gingerly, "Cloud, its okay—"

"It's not," he said sharply, "I could have been here, I could have—"

"Cloud," she whispered, cutting him off and tilting his chin up, she forced him to look at her. There was pain in his eyes, a crushing, heartbreaking pain that she would never forget; she had seen it once before in those pools of Mako. Running her thumb along his cheek, she tilted his head up a little more and leaned down, pressing her lips gently to his. He didn't respond. Drawing away from his lips, she examined his face, looking exactly as it had before.

After all these years he still didn't understand that anything and everything wasn't his fault.

She didn't understand the way everyone was reacting to him, it wasn't like he was the one who had made her pass out, and the Doctor had just explained for a good half hour that it was just a natural response that wasn't uncommon. It wasn't his fault, not in her eyes.

Running her fingers through his hair, she gently brought herself down again and brushed her lips against his once more. He barely pursed in return as she kissed him, but it was a start. The baby was fine and she was fine, why couldn't he just be happy for that?

The door opened a crack, and Elmyra looked in quietly.

Aerith should have been more upset than this.

Aerith pulled back again, scanning every emotion in his eyes. He was scared and confused, she could feel it, he could never hide anything from her.

He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against her chest, right above her heart, "I love you . . . you know that, right?"

"I know," she whispered soothingly, "I love you too."

She knew she would be bombarded with questions later, of why she forgave him so easily and quickly, and wholeheartedly. She already knew the answer; she had known it for a while now. There were so many things that she had done that she wished she could take back, that she wished had never hurt him, and with all that, he had still forgiven her truthfully and wholeheartedly, he had still trusted her with his heart even after she had broken it in every way possible to keep him safe.

He had still forgiven her, even after she had chosen a memory over him. Because he loved her.

Now she could do the same for him, because she loved him. Even if things had gone the way she wished they could have gone, she still would have forgiven him for the same reason alone: _she_ loved _him_.

Holding him to her tighter, she buried her face in his hair, spikes tickling her cheeks, "I love you so much."

She felt something slide against her tummy and looked down to see his ebony glove, gently caressing the contour of her stomach, and speaking in a voice so soft she had to strain her ears to hear, he asked, ". . . Is everything fine?"

She smiled at him, hands moving to his shoulders, and for the first time in a while, things felt normal again, "The baby's strong, just like its father," she whispered back, "They told me it was like nothing happened at all."

He still looked unsure, his light pink lips still parted nervously, "Nothing, nothing at all?"

"Absolutely nothing," she assured him, tilting her head, she smoothed his bangs out of his eyes, "I was surprised too."

"That's . . . not right."

"You wanted the baby to get hurt?" She asked skeptically. His eyes widened and he shook his head.

"No! Of course not! It just . . . doesn't seem right," he trailed off.

Aerith cast her eyes down, "I know what you mean . . . but we should still be thankful she's alright."

His eyes shot open. He was frozen in his spot as realization crossed his wife's face and she raised a hand to her mouth, touching her lips, "Oh . . ."

Slowly, like a time bomb was strapped to his body, he looked up at her, not believing what he had just heard, ". . . 'She'?"

Aerith shook her head, hand still to her lips, and his shoulders slumped, "No, no, I'm sorry it just slipped out. Reno and Rude spent almost an hour pitching to me why it'd be a good idea to have a boy or a girl," she smiled weakly, "and Rude brought up more good points than Reno could count, so I guess it kind of stuck." Cloud's demeanor fell and he glanced at her tummy, rubbing it gently. Her eyes softened, she felt awful for bringing his hopes up like that, "I'm sorry, Cloud, I don't know what the baby is yet."

"You don't have to be sorry," he said smiling up at her, "I was just . . . surprised."

"Why?"

"I don't know if I could handle having a girl."

Aerith's eyes narrowed and she let go of him, crossing her arms. Cloud gulped nervously, she looked just like Elmyra when she did that. "Why not?" She asked sternly.

'_Oh come on!'_ He thought to himself, _'__She'll forgive me for leaving but she won't for saying I can't handle a girl!'_ He felt like jumping out the window and seeing if a magical bush would appear out of nowhere and break his fall or break his neck, _'__Life's a bitch.'_

"It's not that I don't want a girl," he started out slowly, hoping she wouldn't slap him too, "It's just that having a girl is going to be way more work than a boy."

Aerith's glare never fell. He just stared, running a hand through his hair, "Let me rephrase that! Having a girl will be a lot of work because she'll look like you," he tried explaining.

Nothing.

"It's not that it's a bad thing! It's just raising a girl who would look like you would be hard because she'll be beautiful like you," he tried yet again, "I know what the male species is like, so it'll be hard for her to actually like me when I'll be protective of her all the time!" It was amazing just how quickly she was able to pull him out of a rut only to throw him into another one. He had spent the last couple of years worrying about whether the planet was safe and whether Sephiroth would just be reanimated all over again, and now he was worrying about whether his possible future daughter would hate him.

Aerith frowned, a dark brow raised at him in an amused fashion, "you're right." His face was blank as he waited for her to continue.

"She won't like you," she finished with a playful smile.

Elmyra picked up the phone from the receiver and brought it to her ear, "Strife residence, may I ask who's calling?"

"_Elmyra? There you are! The kids were starting to get worried," _Tifa's voice said from the other end of the line.

"Tifa? Oh, yes, I'm still here, I just happened to get . . ." she looked over her shoulder to the staircase that led up to her daughter's bedroom, "caught up."

"_It's all fine, they were just wondering why you haven't come back yet. You're a much loved woman, Elmyra." _Tifa laughed.

Elmyra smiled, "That's sweet, but I don't really know what's going on right now, tell them I'll call as soon as I find out what I can do."

"_What are you doing? Do you need help? We can come over if you want—"_

"It's nothing important, I can handle it myself," she said, noticing Reno giving her an odd look from across the room.

"_Are you sure? You know you don't even have to ask with us, we'll be there in a heartbeat."_

"No, no, no! You stay there, I've got things covered over here," Elmyra assured her, waving Reno off. The redhead just shrugged and went back to pouting in the corner.

"_. . . If you say so. Give us a call if you need anything."_

"I'll do that, buh-bye now!" Elmyra said in a sing-song voice.

She heard Tifa laugh gently on the other end, _"__Bye!"_

Placing the phone back on the receiver, she turned to Reno, pausing as she thought of what to say, ". . . Exactly how many people are to know about this?"

The crimson haired Turk shrugged, looking like he had been asked that question a thousand times before "Don't know. They haven't told us much, but judgin' by this whole thing, the number should be small."

Elmyra, scanned his face, then Rude's, trying to judge how serious they were. Looking back up to the bedroom she sighed, already knowing that it wasn't going to get any easier.


	13. In The Dark

Well apparently, I'm back again. After all this torture with school (yes, even during summer, my life sucks) I was finally granted the time, and unfortunately not the patience, to complete chapter 13. *insert victory dance here* Major accomplishment for me! The snag with me on this chapter, was that I knew what I wanted to happen, but just couldn't find a way to put it into words, which only left me frustrated and staring at my computer screen for hours on end (much to my mother's displeasure XD)

Ahem, anyway, like stated above, I had problems writing this one, and I'm certain it shows past the first scene. Now, time for reviews, and when reviewing a chapter, **please don't respond to my responses via review** **if you'd like to continue speaking to me, please PM me**, the review box is for reviews : ) :

**Captain Arbitrary**: Thank you for understanding. For the longest time, chapter 11 only had three views total, and then preparations for Finals came up, and after a few other circumstances I had to come to the conclusion to go on hiatus for both FanFiction and deviantART, the time and frustration it took for me to put this chapter together only proved that I made the right decision. Hopefully now that I have things mostly sorted out, I can come back and update regularly again.

**Animefan111**: Thank you for your understanding.

**Liese**: Before I get to your point, I want to say that when I received this review, I was honestly touched, and even tempted to start writing at once (even though I was at Starbucks with no computer XD). Whenever I looked at my chapter 10 stats and saw how many viewers it had it upset me to know that out of all those people, I (most of the time) only had two reviews for each chapter, and before I get a million PMs telling me I'm a stupid bee-otch for quitting just because of reviews like I got on my author's note, I'd like to remind everyone for the one hundred—freaking—thousandth time**I DID****NOT****GO ON HIATUS JUST BECAUSE OF REVIEWS! I WENT ON HIATUS TO FOCUS MORE ON MY SCHOOLWORK AND STUDIES WITHOUT THE DISTRACTION!**Anyway, the way I feel is if you like a story you fav/review/whatever you do when you like a story, but if you don't or you lose interest, you just stop, and friends who also write for this site have agreed with me on this. People might send me crap loads of hate for thinking this way but**here's something interesting I wanted to point out: every single person who sent me hate for going on hiatus and having a pointless bitch fit over my decision was someone who'd never reviewed the story before EVER**, does that say something or doesn't it? Of course there were the extremely touching PMs I received of people wishing me good luck in school, but I'd have to say 75% of them were hate related. I want to thank you for your kind words and even applaud you for giving this story a chance despite being more inclined towards the CloTi pairing, not many people are like that when it comes to the whole Clerith-CloTi shipping war : )

**Shego-Go**: The one time you don't review? 0_o Hon, this is the ONLY time you've ever reviewed this story. Thank you anyway for enjoying my story and I hope you enjoy this one as well.

**UnseenSilverWind**: Now that I know your identity you can spam me no longer XD sleepystars will probably get you before I do XD

**cloudandaerith4ever**: Fan girl of a Fan girl? And so the paradox begins XD Thank you.

**LadyOfTheDrakon**: My pics? I only have one for this story and I'm pretty sure that I've stored it . . . anyway thanks, and I know school comes first, that's why I left for a while : ) Don't worry, we all start sounding like our moms sooner or later. The interesting part about my haters was that they weren't even CloTis; they were all Cleriths, weird huh?

**sam213**: You even admitted you don't read this! XD In case you _are_reading it, and I know in the future you will, I hope you get over your block. I had one too, so hopefully it will pass.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any other game whose characters and/or locations I may have used, or the concept of wedding necklaces from FFXIII.

* * *

The night was quiet.

Moonlight painted the earth in milky shades of cold grays and silvers as stars glittered in the night sky. Staring at the dim lights millions of miles away, Marlene tilted her head and wondered if her Daddy was looking up at the sky too, thinking about her. It'd been so long since the last time she'd seen everyone, and now that they were finally here, everyone was gone! The small girl sighed, playing with the pale ribbon she had pulled from her hair earlier that evening, meaning to go to sleep, but finding that it was much easier said than done. Shaking off the covers, she scooted closer to the window, tempted to open it up but deciding against it. A soft groan made her freeze.

Throwing a look over her shoulder, she saw the lump that was Denzel, shifting under the covers of his own bed, a hand poking out from beneath the amber colored quilt. If she had opened up the window, he would have woken up for sure. The chill from the glass cooled her skin as she drew closer to it, just gazing out at the night world beyond her window. Squinting, she sat up straighter, trying to see if she could spot Aerith's home past the multiple buildings that stood between them, the lights from the streetlamps and neon signs lit the way for her, but still, she could see nothing. Resting her head in the palm of her hand, a soft frown crossed her face, "Why don't you want to see us?" she whispered to herself.

"Can't sleep?"

She jumped, head snapping back to see Denzel sitting up in his bed, rubbing the hazy fog of sleep from his sky blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's okay."

Pulling his hands away from his face, he let them fall to his sides, "What's wrong?"

Marlene was silent, sitting back down and wrapping her blanket around her shoulders to ward off the chill, was Denzel really the best person to be talking to about this? He always put up a brave stance, pretending like he didn't care (much like someone else they all knew) but he was as easy to read as an open book, it wasn't that hard to see past it all to find the hurt that swam in the depths of his eyes. Frowning at a stuffed animal that lay before her, an idea came to her, '_. . . if I do talk to him about it, maybe he'll feel better since he's not trying to hide it_,' meeting her friend's gaze, she made her decision.

"Denzel . . . are you okay?"

The moonlight that shone in through the window lit the dark room just enough for her to see his eyes widen, a brow rising up in question. That look, even just a simple lift of the brow she recognized as something Cloud would do if put in a similar situation, and of course, he had acquired it from Aerith. It really was like they were his parents.

Scary.

". . . What makes you say that?"

Here it goes, all or nothing. "You seem so . . . sad." Pulling her knees up to her chest, she rested her chin on top of them, "I miss them too, you know."

He was still, not moving a single muscle since she started talking, ". . . I don't know what you're talking about."

Marlene sighed, there it was, she had gotten too close to the wall, his defenses were going up. "Yes you do, Cloud and Aerith, I miss them too." He looked away. Now she was determined, so many times she had watched him just close up and distance himself, not today, he was going to talk about his feelings if it was the last thing she did. "I know . . . I know we're not a real family . . . but . . . I'd still like to think you can tell me anything . . ." edging as close as she could without falling off the side of her bed, she held her blanket closer, "so go on, tell me what's bothering you."

She missed her daddy like crazy, and he had even come to visit every now and then, but Cloud and Aerith, they just disappeared. If she felt this way about her father, she knew he must have been heartbroken over the young pair that had taken him in and called him their own.

"It's nothing alright, I . . ." rubbing the back of his neck, he shrugged, "it's like you said, I just . . . miss them."

Marlene nodded, the smallest of smiles tugging at the corner of her lips, it was a start. Denzel, sighed, he could already tell she wasn't going to let this go, "You know everything there is to know, Marlene . . . it's been so long and I hate it, I understand why they had to go, but now that it's over . . ."

She tilted her head at him, grip on her blanket tightening as his voice trailed off, and she gasped softly. Denzel's eyes clenched shut and he bowed his head, shoulders trembling, "they haven't come back."

Marlene understood, now she knew why he was so upset, they'd come back, they'd been back this whole time, but she added in the missing piece to his confession, something he tried so hard to hide from them all . . .

_they haven't come back . . .__**for me**_

He tried, he tried so hard to be strong, to pretend like it didn't matter, like he didn't care, but he did. He cared so much, it hurt. They were the only family he had known after METEOR and Geostigma, and even though he had Marlene, Tifa, and Elmyra, he felt . . . abandoned. He'd never say so to them, but, in almost every way possible, Aerith and Cloud reminded him so much of his mom and dad.

Warm arms wrapped around him and he flinched. Looking up, he saw Marlene, huddled in her blanket and all, with her arms around his neck, and head nestled between his chin and shoulder.

"You don't have to hold it in, it's okay," she whispered. Tepid droplets landed on her forehead, a light sniffle following. Holding him tighter, the small girl patted his back gently as he cried.

Whatever Cloud and Aerith were doing, she just hoped it was worth it.

Denzel's arms wrapped around her slowly, and she sighed, doing her best to soothe him. She prayed that they'd at the very least come for him soon, before his heart broke completely.

* * *

The phone rang but he didn't bother to answer it.

Tipping his head back, Rufus downed the shot of amber poison, relishing the feel of the cold liquid sliding down his throat and the ice cubes against his lip. After what felt like hours, the ringing stopped and the room was thrown back into silence. With a satisfied smile, he grabbed a bottle off of his desk and made to refill his glass when the damn thing started ringing again, but once more, it didn't faze him.

He already knew who it was.

Reno and Rude had returned without their director after all, and the WRO had been calling non-stop for the whereabouts of Reeve. It didn't take a genius to know who was calling.

However, he didn't feel like dealing with it at the moment.

Refilling his glass, he just let it ring, directing his attention back to the vast sea of papers scattered along his desk, funding bills for the WRO, lists of supplies needed in Edge and neighboring cities, reports of oil drilling sites to be excavated for the worker's safety, blue prints for properties in desperate need of renovation and the like. Cleaning up the planet wasn't easy, but it had to be done, he hadn't just given an empty promise to keep the masses happy. Swallowing the last of his drink, he set the glass back down, letting his hand wander across the black printed papers. Reaching down to the last drawer of the desk, he pulled it open and pushed everything aside. Sitting up straight, he brought with him a bottle of whiskey, and popped the top open with a fluid flick of the wrist.

It was times like these he was grateful he hadn't second guessed having a hidden door installed in the bottom drawer; Tseng had long since locked off the liquor cabinet and taken the key with him, absolutely sure he would be tempted.

He was right, he was, but Tseng had forgotten the fact that he wasn't a moron, and all the liquor in the world didn't come from his cabinet.

Helping himself to another glass, he continued his search of what needed his attention the most and stopped when he saw something that shouldn't have been there.

Well, shouldn't have still been there.

He pushed the papers on top of it off to the side and picked up the yellow file that had been hidden beneath. He was certain he'd returned this to its proper place. Putting it down, he moved to return to his work. The file remained.

_The wreckage around the harbor has been cleared after three years of uninterrupted cleanup and disposal of debris. Most of the recyclable materials were used to rebuild what could be . . ._

Rufus tore his eyes away from the Junon reports. Grasping the file, he opened it up, finally giving into temptation for the second time that night, and scanned the contents.

Paper clipped to the file was a picture of Ifalna.

The hands on the clock ticked away, approaching the advent of midnight, finding a lone figure reading in a dimly lit room the vestiges of a woman time had forgotten, and about the child she had brought into the world.

Aerith.

_**RUN**_

She jolted, gasping as her malachite eyes snapped open. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't—

"Aerith."

Warm hands rubbed her arms soothingly, goose bumps prickling her skin from the touch. Cloud paused, pulling her closer, he brushed her bangs out of her eyes, seeing her uneasy face clear as day, even in their bedroom's darkness, and asked in a tone that did nothing to hide the fear in his voice, "What's wrong?"

She just stared. Slowly but surely everything started to flood back; air found its way into her lungs and she could breathe again. She was fine. She was just fine . . . or at least . . . she thought she was. Sitting up, she opened her mouth to speak but the words twisted up in her throat in such a horrible way it was tangible, her chest shook as she coughed violently, the air she had only regained just seconds ago stolen from her once more as her entire being convulsed. She was dimly aware of a wetness sliding down her skin, too distracted by her heart sputtering in her chest a hundred miles a minute in a single beat. Every muscle was on fire, contracting painfully tight and it was hell, burning horrible hell this torment—

"Aerith!"

She collapsed onto the mattress, breath shuttering out of her, and every basis of her agony ripped away in a single instant. Her hands had found their way to her neck and weakly gripped her throat as she laid there, the shuffling sound of bed sheets echoing in her ears. Arms wrapped around her tightly and her head lolled backwards as she was picked up, and pressed tightly to a warm chest.

A door slammed somewhere down the hall.

Something hammered wildly, a dull thump thump thump slowly bringing her back to her senses, her eyes fluttering open as realization struck. The bedside lamp illuminated Cloud's face, half of which was thrown into darkness and the wild thumping had yet to be ceased, but she knew what it was.

It was his heart.

"Aerith," his voice was panicked and his eyes were wide in childlike fear, "Aerith, can you hear me-"

Their bedroom door flew open and the room was thrown into light. She squeezed her eyes shut, taken aback by the blinding whiteness that threatened to render her eyes useless as footsteps drew near the bed.

"What happened?"

"I don't know! She just started shaking and cou . . ."

The voices became faint. She struggled to hold on, to try and hear what they were saying, but the world around her had become mute, with nothing but the movements of life to guide her through what was going on, like a silent film that left everything to the imagination.

An image flitted across her eyes, like the remnant of a dream, ghosting over her vision.

Something whispered in her ear.

* * *

_Due to the idiocy of Shin-Ra's lesser, the specimen has escaped, and the offspring has yet to receive a number. In their absence we have opted to do as much research as possible, and are now in the process of an estimation date for the experiment to be completed. The mother has yet to give us anything of use and little to no progress has been made, but once they are returned, measures will be taken to assure that we reach the next step on schedule._

Rufus had been reading the only traces of Professor Hojo left on the planet for hours now.

Skimming through this, or referring to that, just getting lost in the findings of Aerith's past behind his company's walls. He rested his current reading back into the file, having no desire to know what else Hojo had written about her, or her mother for that matter, he wasn't the same man who'd found amusement in any type of human suffering as he had three years ago.

Virulent Rufus Shinra, who'd never once bled or cried, actually developed a deep understanding of moral through his own pain, as horrifically ironic as it was.

Glancing at the rest of the papers in his hand, he found the next one, turning the paper right-side up for further inspection. The first time around he'd just skimmed, now that he was neglecting his work and setting a goal to read everything, he found himself coming across papers he'd never seen before, things he'd never known about her, and as much as he realized it was an invasion of her privacy, he couldn't pull himself away.

The heir to the dead Shinra fortune frowned at what he held. This was recent. There was no mistaking that skirt or the way her breasts practically begged for attention under the ruffled pink fabric of her top, yes, this was her alright. The quality of the picture in his hand was horrendous to say the least. Blurry and obscured by the figures of people walking past, but enough space passing for him to see her, laughing and happy as she slipped a gleaming necklace—the counterpart to her own—around Strife's neck, a knowing smile on the brooding delivery man's face. It didn't take much digging to find out they were engagement necklaces, very uncommon in their society today. Tradition had died long before METEOR fell, and he was completely and utterly flabbergasted to learn that of all the people on the planet, Cloud _**fucking **_Strife had refused, offering his love a necklace like his father before him.

He just loved to keep you guessing, didn't he?

Drumming his fingers on the metal desktop, his face took on a thinking expression, recalling the first time this photo had wound up in his hand.

_"They're getting married."_

_He froze._

_Setting his pen down, he faced his visitor, guise set in stone. His senses weren't as sharp as they used to be, leaving him to nearly jump out of his skin when she spoke, but he was uninterested all the same. Whatever new Edge gossip she had come to report did little to grasp his attention; she just didn't understand that bringing him news from the city was different from its grapevine slander._

_He met her chocolate irises, not amused, "When I ask you for a briefing of the city, I don't want you to bring me news that would only be useful in a tabloid."_

_She shrugged, flicking her bangs out of her eyes, "I guess it could be considered 'star' material, and here I thought I was going to get a promotion!" Pulling a stack of thin white squares from her jacket—photos—she shuffled them like playing cards, "I don't know, I think you might be interested in these."_

_She held them out, serious now, and hesitantly, he took them from her, sweeping his gaze over the mess of poorly focused shots, some with her thumb covering the lens, and others with no clear target whatsoever._

_"I knew you wouldn't believe me without proof."_

_Believe what? He didn't understand what he was supposed to be looking at._

_Then he saw her. Flipping through the rest of the photos, his brows drew together as the same woman appeared on the next one, then the one after that, and then the one after that like a three-dimensional flipbook. But she wasn't alone. Like a vision, Aerith Gainsborough was standing in Edge's one and only jeweler, hand in hand with Cloud Strife, while an elderly man handed them matching pendants, looking proud and gesturing to the one on the left with great exuberance. He cast it to the back to see the next one, of her with a hand over her mouth and Cloud holding the left one, showing it to her. The next one was of Cloud paying for the necklaces, the one after that showing him shaking the older gentleman's hand, and then the following was Aerith shaking his hand, a wide smile and lips forming words he could only imagine as 'thank you'._

_"I walked in a little while after they left," she spoke as he flipped through the rest of the pictures, "the shop owner told me that they'd come to him a week ago asking to have a necklace made. Turns out 'the nice young couple' wanted an exact copy made of her engagement necklace since he didn't have his father's, don't know why, the girl's the only one that wears something in an engagement."_

_He flipped to the last picture, Aerith smiling as she hooked the clasp of the chain in place around Cloud's neck._

_"The one Cloud walked away with is the copy, and the one Aerith put back on is the original, it belonged to his mom or something like that," she said, placing a hand on her hip, oblivious to his silent trance, "I would have followed them, but they looked like they were off to . . . celebrate . . . and I don't care how much you pay me or whether my job's on the line, I am NOT going to take pictures of THAT!"_

_Eyes traveling back to her face, he paused, frowning at her, "How would this knowledge be of any use to me?"_

_Her smile fell, bistre orbs widening, shoulders sagging, and standing as if she was a child caught red-handed. With a sigh, she hid her hands behind her back, shifting from one foot to the other, and finally, she said what had been on her mind, and what had led to the stalking of the two people in almost every picture she took, "We should stop following her."_

_He raised an eyebrow, brushing off her words like dust on his shoulder and returning to his work. He'd been through this millions of times before and was not about to explain himself again. It seemed he wasn't the only one with an ulterior motive in this room. She stepped towards him, hands balling up at her sides and a look of distress crossing her face; he only stared back at her, causing her to falter._

_She couldn't act out over his decision, no matter how badly she wanted to._

_One of the few perks of signing someone's paycheck._

_She sealed her lips shut, and mulling it over he assumed, she stood straighter, chin held up grudgingly, "With all due respect, President Shinra, I don't see any need to keep trailing her like we have for the past three years."_

_Her words fell on deaf ears but she continued anyway, her naivety giving her the impression he was actually paying attention._

_"She's going to marry Cloud, which means they're going to be together the whole time, you know, shacking up, picking curtains, arguing over cream or eggshell," she said, right hand open to represent cream, and left hand open to represent eggshell, "we don't have to be following her around waiting for something to happen anymore, if he really loves her, he'll be doing it for us, and you, me, heck, maybe even the entire city of Edge knows the answer to that already." Bringing her hands back to her sides, she sighed, "Cloud will protect her. We don't need to anymore. I suggest we pull everyone back and leave it to him."_

_"You don't truly believe that."_

_Her chocolate eyes snapped open and she took a step back. He'd caught her._

_"Of course I do!"_

_"No. You don't." The flow of ink from his pen dabbled the document, specks and dribbles in the uneven outlines of letters replacing the bold print that had been written before it. Giving the pen a nice shake, the ink was restored, and he continued to write, never once looking up, "You've only gone to such lengths because you're afraid."_

_"Afraid of what?" she demanded._

_"You know very well 'what'." He flipped to the next document, "Tseng is head of the mission, is he not?"_

_She inhaled sharply, "That has nothing to do with this—!"_

_"On the contrary," his stormy blue eyes found her frightened bistre orbs. Setting his pen down, he intertwined his fingers atop his desk, shaking her to her very core, "You don't trust him, do you?"_

_"I trust him!" Her voice was shaky, and he knew she'd break any second now._

_With an unconvinced front, he simply nodded, humoring her, "Very well then. You may leave now."_

_She trembled slightly, the girlish side to her shining through when it came to matters of the heart, or her boyfriend, and his own conflicted feelings once upon a time, nodding, she lowered her head, turning on her heel to leave._

_"Elena."_

_She stopped._

_He picked up the pictures, briefly eyeing them, "You are to tell no one of your outing today, understood?"_

_Elena nodded, blonde fringe swaying, "yes, Sir."_

He'd drunk himself stupid that night, finding the urge to drown himself in lukewarm liquor more tempting than it was on any other day. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why he had been so eager to do something that could so easily kill him (he knew very well _why_, but had come so far and picked up so many pieces he was terrified to admit it to himself or others, keeping it hidden and feigning complete and utter ignorance) categorizing it all up to a brief spell of depression, here one day and gone in the next.

So easy to fool the fools that worked for him.

Only two had ever seen through the mask, both not pleased with what they found. He didn't care though; he had ceased caring years ago. All was silent as the photo found its way back into the file, tucked away in the deepest reaches of the crease, if his dealings in Corel taught him anything, it was to leave no trace behind.

It could sometimes be the difference between life and death.

His head was pounding. Pressing the heel of his palm to his forehead, he shuddered, trying to decipher whether his spinning world was caused by the time, the stress, or the drink. Like an other worldly experience, like he only watched on as someone pulled the strings of a marionette that looked so much like himself, he was intrigued by the streamline of amber running down the wall, having not yet realized it was he who had thrown the bottle, and he, who had watched—delighted as it smashed into a million pieces.

* * *

"I'm fine . . ." she whispered weakly. Her consciousness had returned from the dark labyrinth it had been thrust into only minutes ago. The heart in her chest had slowed, to a gentler, more normal rate, one that didn't suggest she'd just run the distance of the planet despite being asleep and void of all motion. Shaking her head, she fought to stay awake, eyelids weighing more than they should have. Placing a hand on her chest, fingertips brushing her collarbone, she patted gently, "It was just a coughing fit, nothing more." God, she wished she could sound more convincing, she doubted that she looked fine at all from the frowns on their faces.

Elmyra sat beside her, hesitant at first, and took her hand, "Aerith, it's only been a few days since you fell, you could be sick again. Please, let us help you."

She couldn't stand it! One look into her mother's eyes said it all, her heart twisted in her chest at the hurt and concern, knowing very well she was the cause. '_It's always been this way_', she pushed herself to remember, to try and alleviate some of the guilt she was inflicting upon herself, '_ever since I was a little girl._'She'd had no other siblings, no brothers or sisters from before she had entered Elmyra's life, leaving her to be the one and only apple of the woman's eye. Whenever she'd fall, or bleed, or cried, her mother would always be there, skirt in her hand—so she wouldn't trip—and mature face stricken with slight fear for her safety. Watching her, she realized that becoming a mother wasn't easy, it didn't happen overnight or just click like most people assumed it would for any woman with a child. It'd taken a while for the both of them to realize they were all the other had, that in this big lonely world they could depend on the other. The day that it happened, that Elmyra realized she was her mother and that she was Elmyra's daughter was just . . . amazing, the first time she looked up at the older woman and called her 'mom' had brought her an incomparable joy that she could even see reflected in her mother's eyes. The knowledge that despite the fact that everyone they loved had been taken from them, they still had each other.

Looking at her mother now, eighteen years later, with that same fearful visage and an almost crushing grip on her hand, she felt tears well up in her eyes. She could only dream to be as wonderful a mother as her.

Cloud patted her back cautiously, like he was afraid she would break from the lightest touch. She had been in his arms from the moment she stopped writhing, he being too afraid to put her down or even tear his eyes away for a second, what he saw was terrifying to say the least. Aerith tried to brush it off as just a small incident, like it was nothing at all. She had most likely witnessed something far different than he had; it wasn't just a 'coughing fit', or whatever cute little name she had given to dampen his worry. He'd thought she was having a seizure from the way she'd been flailing, face contorted and muscles taut. His eyes flickered to Elmyra quickly, and then returned to Aerith once more, he was certain she thought the same.

"I'm okay, I promise," she tried to smile, but failed, the corners of her lips betraying her as they fell, and her lids slowly following suit, verdant eyes hidden behind long dark lashes.

Her body was becoming heavier and he inhaled sharply, gently shaking her, "Aerith?" Elmyra's eyes widened, visibly shaken, but both soon relaxed when she opened her eyes again, smiling up at them.

"I'm alright . . . just tired," her voice trailed off.

"Aerith we should—"

Emerald eyes stared pointedly into Elmyra's pale hazel orbs, full lips setting into a frown, and in an unrealistically sharp voice, she spoke, "I'm fine." Her hands moved then, peeling her husband's arms from her shoulders and waist. He could only watch, stunned at this behavior, having practically choked on oxygen and then arguing with her mother over her health, this was not like her, this was . . . himself. Refusing help no matter how much he needed it, assuring others he was fine when he clearly wasn't, it had all been exhibited in his wife tonight, as strange as it was.

Finally wriggling out of his grasp, she fell back amongst the pillows, sighing in relief at the soft support for her head. With no further room for argument, she turned on her side, back to them and closed her eyes.

For the first time in the past three and a half years, Elmyra and Cloud were on the same page. The two were silent, the night's own quiescence making the house feel almost empty save for the three people in the bedroom. Elmyra shook her head as the soft sound of Aerith's snores interrupted the tense silence, sighing she turned to Cloud, said man jumping slightly at her glare, and nodded her head towards the door. He just stared at her, and after a few painfully stupid seconds, nodded.

Standing he followed her outside and quietly shut the door behind him, careful not to take his eyes off Elmyra for fear of being slapped once more. He'd never liked being in a room alone with her, things being horribly awkward between them since the first time he had met her, but ever since earlier that evening, he was terrified of the small woman, realizing he had pissed her off enough to actually bring her to smack him with the object of their quarrels sitting in the next room.

She whirled around to face him, opening her mouth to speak, but her words falling short as an incredulous look crossed her face. Her brows furrowed and she smacked her palm to her forehead, "For God's—put a shirt on!" she hissed vehemently. She'd been too caught up in her daughter's pain to notice Cloud's subtle nakedness. His frown deepened, eyes narrowing dangerously, without another word he turned on his heel and opened the bedroom door, closing it behind him to fulfill his mother in law's wishes. He **hated** her telling him what to do in his own house; as if he didn't get enough of that when Aerith dragged him over to hers.

Reemerging moments later _and_ sporting a white cotton t-shirt, he placed his hands on his hips, wanting this to be over as quickly as possible so he could attend to Aerith once more.

Elmyra crossed her arms over her chest, glowering and he wanted to move away, convinced she was going to strike once more. She didn't. Going straight to the matter at hand, she voiced her thoughts, "What happened?"

Eyes softening, he sighed, "I told you, I don't know," looking off to the side, he continued, sky blue orbs growing distant, "She just started shaking, then the coughing started. When I picked her up I could feel her pulse through her wrist, it wasn't normal at all, it was far faster than it should have been."

Elmyra's eyes narrowed to mere slits and her lips formed a tight line, she was trying to piece together the cause of it all but her mind kept giving her sneaking suspicions she could hold in no longer, "Were you two having sex?"

His face drained of all color and his eyes widened to an unimaginable size that would have been funny had she not been this furious, it was his turn to choke on air, the previously pale skin reddening up to his ears, "What? No!" He managed to whisper loud enough for her to understand just how uncomfortable and insane that sounded. He and Aerith had sex, so what, they were married, but on this particular night he'd be an ass to try and put her up to those kinds of activities after just discovering she'd fallen into a mini coma while he was away. Did she really pin him to be that much of a jerk? Did this woman, who _was_ going to be in his life so long as he remained married to Aerith (which he didn't see ending, thank you very much) really think that even though her life had been put at stake if the Turks hadn't of shown up that he'd just come home and demand of her to tend to his nonexistent (at least right now and probably for the rest of the pregnancy) carnal needs?

Okay, that earlier statement probably would have made a good majority of the men on this planet faint, but he just didn't see the appeal, Aerith was pregnant, she had their baby **inside** of **her**, and he didn't want to give it permanent brain damage from being repeatedly slammed into the discs of her spine, it was just too gross.

Sick detail time over, back to Elmyra.

The small woman didn't look convinced. His cheeks grew even brighter at that face to which he could only reply with a glare, "What kind of person do you think I am? And even if we were, it's none of your business!"

The look of death he had given so many a time to those who got on his last nerve had made its home on her face and he suddenly felt like praying. Glancing down at the floor, he mentally cursed that his prayer had not been answered, and that the ground had not yet swallowed him whole, yet.

"Never mind! First thing in the morning I _will_convince Aerith to see a doctor, one way or the other!" And with that said, she headed down the hall, dressing gown fluttering behind her as she entered her room and gently closed it shut. Cloud finally relaxed, shoulders sagging and muscles unwinding from their tight knots while a sigh of relief passed his lips. Opening the door to his own room, he brought his hands to the hem of his shirt and pulled upwards, taking the restricting material off and tossing it back into the drawer he had left open. His gaze fell on the lump beneath the covers.

Slowly making his way towards the bed, he slipped under the covers stealthily to not wake her, not believing the words he had been thinking only moments ago, '_I'll help Elmyra tomorrow, Aerith just can't pretend nothing happened._' Reaching over, he turned off the bedside lamp, throwing the room into complete darkness for the second time that night, and turning over on his side, he contemplated whether he should wrap his arms around Aerith's waist or just let her be. Deciding to play it safe for tonight, he just gazed at her back, keeping himself aware incase anything were to happen again.

Within a few hours, he had fallen asleep.

Her eyes slowly cracked open in the night at the sound of Cloud's snores. With a quick look over her shoulder, she saw him, face buried in the pillow, muffling all his sleepy little noises. Resuming her former position, her brows furrowed and she bit her lip, thinking back to the voice she had heard earlier that night, the words it had whispered and the vision she saw.

It had been the voice of the planet, one which she hadn't heard from in months. The voice had been the very reason she refused all help her mother and Cloud had offered, its words ringing clear as a bell in her mind.

_**You need not fear**_

Following Cloud's idea, she buried her face into her own pillow eyes closing. Her eyelids were still as heavy as ever, and soon, she was welcomed back into the arms of sleep. She never realized though, that she'd only sleep to be thrown into the same vision that had merged with the real world hours earlier . . .

* * *

_Run._

_Her breathe came out in wispy clouds as her breathing grew heavier, the snow crunching beneath her feet doing little to ease up on the struggle it already was to run, her muscles burning and constricting painfully tight within her legs._

_"COME BACK HERE, CREATURE!"_

_Gunshots sounded in the distance, and all around her bullets pierced the trunks of pine trees, bark flying and pines being shaken free. She held a small bundle in her arms closer, shielding as much of it as she could._

_In her arms she held her world, and she'd be damned if she lost this one too._


	14. Easy To Read

It's been a long time but chapter 14 is finally here!

Lots of factors have contributed to the delay of this chapter including a long hesitation to continue it. I started this story as an admittedly cliché (would that be the word for it?) writer, now that I am no longer the little grammatically incorrect, plot flawed, and romance obsessed little 9th grader I was when I first wrote this story, and have come to realize just how much my writing and understanding of the game and its characters has developed, I have been faced with the question of what to do next. Since I am replaying the game with a more analytical perspective of not only the love triangle, but the characters and plot, I started to see the major flaws in my AU of the original game, which of course leads to Advent Children: Undivided, and then lastly to A Change of Pace. Also, with the addition of my recent learning of the post Advent Children novella _On The Way to A Smile-TURKS-The Kids Are Alright_ (yeah, I'm not as dedicated a fan as I thought), and my reading of a brief summary of the book since I cannot find a reliably translated version of the story, it seems that SQUARE had decided to change the plot of Advent Children once more with the addition of two new characters, that would ultimately change the plot of Advent Children: Undivided as well since Aerith's role in the story is more behind the scenes, giving her many opportunities to have interacted with these two new characters during the time frame the novella takes place during. During a quick read through of the story, I'd also come to realize just how much of the content I have included in A Change of Pace would never really happen in game, the way I have finally concluded, it could really be considered a novella to the AU.

A lot of important elements to the plot I had squished in there just so the readers would know what was going on would never happen "on screen" in a technical sense. For example, the flashback to Rufus' capture and rape of Aerith would never be included in the novella if it were real, because the novella would rely on the reader to have already known that it had happened. Another big point—that also proved to be a popular little tidbit—was the flashback to the wedding. Thinking about it as if it had happened in game, it never would have happened on screen either, since the protagonist of DoC was Vincent and not Cloud; the most we probably would have gotten out of it would have been a sentence alluding to the engagement in both Cloud and Aerith's descriptions in the DoC manual and possibly a description of the mid-battle wedding in an ultimania. There is also the problem of the wedding itself, since it was very obvious that the scene had been inspired by _Pirates of The Caribbean: At World's End_ I have a feeling it wouldn't have gone down that way either since it almost exactly mirrors the wedding of Elizabeth and Will.

All of these factors and more have led me to the question I have still not found an answer to: What now? Do I simply scrap my AU altogether? Leave it incomplete? Start over? I don't know, and I'm still unsure as to whether or not I should soldier on much like SQUARE has and continue even with all the changes in plot from the original source, and my own revisions to the AU.

I would really like to start over again, but life is a bit hectic right now and to truly get the story as close to canon as I'd like it to be, I'd have to spend a lot more time doing research on these novellas and replaying all the games that are within reach (I've almost entirely forgotten what happened in Dirge of Cerberus and the minor plot points in Crisis Core). I know, it seems like a lot of work over an AU that won't even be read by that many people, and I admit it is, but I love these characters and this world I've built with them of a life together, something the small majority of us Clerith shippers could read and enjoy with a bittersweet smile. The life they could have had, the struggles but also the triumphs, and the addition of a tiny Cetra to call their own. I love this story and I want to do it over again, the _right_ way, but am unsure as to whether I'd have the time or patience. I'm almost certain that you readers wouldn't be very happy having to read it all over from the beginning again either, so I also have to take you guys into consideration as well. Any thoughts? Opinions? Would you guys be willing to read it from the beginning once more? I'd really like to know what you all think. And hey, maybe we could call it A Change of Pace: Complete :) Just kidding, just kidding! But really, I would really love to hear what your guys' thoughts would be on a revision of the story. Some of these chapters were a little embarrassing to read, and now that I'm older and have a better sense of what is written well and what is just plain overdone I'd like to give all of you guys a better story, one that truly deserves to tell the story of the next Cetra.

So thoughts, comments, opinions, let me know! I'd really like to start this story again right for all the wonderful readers and friends I've made in this little fandom of ours. For now though, the old story shall continue, just until I get enough input about the new story.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. This is purely a fan made work. SQUARE-ENIX owns the characters and locations; I only take credit for Aerith and Cloud's baby.

* * *

The light tapping of rain against the window was the only thing keeping her awake by this point.

Aerith sat by the window silently, head resting against the cool glass that was slowly but surely warming from the heat of her cheek. She watched almost robotically as she took even breaths in and out, fogging up the window in opaque clouds that faded out once they had traveled too far. Rain in November, it wasn't unheard of but it still made her sleepy. Reaching out she drew a circle in the fog, dotting it with two fingers and then dragging her nail underneath the two dots, making a smile. Staring at the little face smiling back at her from the window, she reached a finger out again and rubbed in some bangs, similar to her own, moving once the job was done to stare at her creation once more. She frowned at it. Blowing in the direction of the doodle it fogged over, leaving behind no trace of the little smiling Aerith that felt nothing like the big frowning Aerith she really was.

Big, ha! Moving her head off the window she rested it in the palm of her hand, eyes never leaving the spot where poor little doodle Aerith had been blown away. Big felt like an understatement. She was pregnant, she obviously knew she was going to get bigger, she knew her body would change, she knew she was going to have to say goodbye to her healthy frame and say hello to her baby belly, _she knew_! But she didn't think it was going to be so damn _hard_!

Sighing she tapped her fingers against her chin in a wave like rhythm, thinking. Her life had changed so drastically in the last five months; for starters her mother was now living with her, giving herself the room that the children would usually occupy during visits. It wasn't bad, and she had no intention whatsoever of kicking her mother out, but she hadn't quite expected her to stay. Then there was the matter of the Turks, the team of Reno, Rude, and sometimes Tseng that would sometimes make base in her household, "following orders". After a long conversation in Cloud's office that she had been forced to keep out of, the other occupants of the house had all agreed that it'd be best for them all to pretend like nothing had happened, to go on with their normal routines like usual . . . with the exception of the patrols done by the Turks and her mother's ever warming presence downstairs, either cleaning up or cooking in the kitchen.

Cloud had gone back to work, the one person she really needed to be with her and he had gone, leaving her every day depending on whatever time the deliveries had been scheduled for. After they had finished their little no-Aeriths-allowed meeting, Cloud had taken her by the hand and led her to the bedroom, sitting her down and giving her only scant detail of what had been discussed. Everyone had agreed it would be best for him to continue his deliveries, to not draw even the slightest bit of suspicion towards them. Of course she had protested, seeing that he was needed at home more than on the road, needed by _her_, but he could only shake his head, trying to explain to her just what their situation looked like from the outside. Strife Delivery Service had been down for nearly three and a half-months, that was already a red flag, and she had to admit, she had completely forgotten about the small home business they had run together for the past two years, but still she tried. She fished for something, anything that would keep him home but her words had failed her. They were right, the business had been down too long for merely their clients alone to ignore, and she was certain she would have received many calls about their whereabouts had it not been for her mother and Cloud taking the calls, leaving her phoneless and without another connection to the outside world.

It was amazing! She was a grown woman, perfectly capable of taking care of herself, and yet here she was, being trapped! Caged in! Suffocated! All because people wanted to protect her, keep her safe. She thought back to that night, remembering Cloud's hands taking both of hers gently, rubbing soothing motions into her skin with rough ebony gloves, _"We're only doing this because we care . . ."_

She watched dazedly as the cars passed by, splashing water in rippling waves. Tilting her head, her eyes fell upon a pair leaving a store on the opposite side of the street, a mother shrugging her purse back into a comfortable position on her shoulder and a small girl hopping about in the puddles with bright yellow rain boots and a charming smile. The mother waited patiently for the girl to return, lips moving, and Aerith found herself wondering if she was calling the girl's name. Hopping back to her mother's side, the woman opened up a beige colored umbrella, tilting it enough when she reached for the girl's hand for Aerith to see its moogle face print before walking off hand in hand with the girl down the opposite side of the street. She watched the mother and child's retreating backs until they were only small specks in the distance, going on with their own lives and no longer a fleeting part of her own.

She sat there silently, warm breath fogging up the glass in time to her breathing, ". . . because you care," she repeated to herself.

'_Mom . . . is this what you went through? Is this what you felt?' _

Things were easier for her now than they had to have been for her mother, Shin-Ra claimed to be on her side, Shin-Ra had hunted down her mother, killed her even in the process. What must it have been like? To live each moment knowing that at any moment your life could be taken away from you? To not only be strong for yourself, but to be strong for your child? Aerith's arms circled her belly and she shielded it protectively, feeling her lip quiver, for all she knew, she could very well be answering those questions in the near future. They could only keep her locked up in her house for so long, they couldn't hide her forever. Pushing herself up from her place on the window seat, she shook her head. She couldn't stop contradicting herself. One moment she would just want to run, be free, be outdoors! . . . And then another she'd want to hide, bury herself in Cloud's arms until it was all over, never leave the safety of her husband's embrace . . . both were appealing but neither felt right to her. With a sigh she made her way to the kitchen, somber musings trailing behind her like shadows, in the end it wouldn't matter what she wanted, she'd have to do whatever is best for her baby, even if it meant this was the way to protect it.

Taking a seat at the kitchen table her eyes flickered up to her mother, smiling happily as she hummed a merry tune. Walking towards her, Elmyra placed a steaming plate down in front of her and Aerith was greeted with the sight of pasta and meatballs, no sauce because she couldn't even _stand_ the thought of tomatoes right now. Smiling up at the older woman, she took the fork from its place on the side of the plate and pushed the food around, spearing a few of the bowtie shaped noodles and popping them into her mouth. The doorbell rang and Elmyra rushed to go get it, waving a hand at her and telling her to sit back down, Aerith sighed halting her motion to stand and putting it into reverse, seating herself once more.

Returning to her food, she listened as the front door opened, and her mother spoke, "Oh, you again. How long are you going to keep doing this?"

Clomping footsteps entered the house and soon a familiar voice echoed about the room, "As long as we're needed, babe!"

Aerith turned and saw her mother's hands clench at her sides bristling at being called such a demeaning word. Reno continued to let himself in, Rude following closely behind, closing an umbrella and placing it with the others. As the redhead made his way towards the kitchen she saw Rude offer her mother a small pink package taped at the edges, Elmyra took it graciously, smiling at the bald Turk and saying her thanks.

Aerith's senses immediately heightened. The package was pink, which could only suggest the existence of something sweet inside, she felt her cheeks flush and she turned away, another little thing she hated about being pregnant, she wanted something sweet every minute of every day. Groaning she placed a hand on her forehead and began to calculate what such behavior was going to do to her body once she had the baby when a hand placed itself on the table beside her plate. Looking up from the corner of her eye she was met with the sight or Reno leaning against the table, all his weight balanced on one leg as he smiled down at her, it would have been oh so charming if she had been a total stranger. With a grin to match his reputation, he leaned forward playfully, "Always nice to see your sexy self," he drawled, the words flowing like molasses right off his tongue.

She grinned back, both hands underneath her chin now. Shooing him away, she felt her smile grow bigger as he held up his hands defensively and turned, "Yo, Rude! Bring the stuff o'er here!"

Aerith sighed, thinking back to his greeting and smiled bitterly. "Right, 'cause I just feel _so _sexy right now," she said, alluding to all the unwanted but necessary changes to her body, and the disheveled and tired look she had passed one too many times in the mirror that morning.

The redhead's gaze fell back to her and the corner of his mouth twitched up, eyes sparkling mischievously, "Aw come on!" Taking a seat at the other end of the table he leaned towards her, "Well spill it out! Tell Papa Reno all about it!" He spread his legs and patted his knee to which she replied to with a raised eyebrow and a none too amused look thrown his way. "Fine! I find that girls have an easier time talking to me when they sit on my lap but have it your way," he shrugged nonchalantly, like it was her loss.

"Why? Does it remind them of Santa Claus?"

A stunned look crossed his face and she couldn't help but laugh at the way it scrunched up, appalled by her joke. Moving to lean on one elbow, his deflated look was soon replaced with one of determination as he fought to defend himself, "yeah, yeah, yeah, well girls happen to _enjoy_ my company, but enough about me." A hand went to his chest in a gesture to himself, his pale blue eyes then became focused and he pointed a finger at her, "Let's talk about you, now tell me, Kitten, why don'cha feel sexy?"

She couldn't believe they were actually talking about this.

"Oh yes, this is the perfect conversation to be having with my mother in the same room."

Rude walked up with the pink box, placing it on the table before her. She was so tempted to look inside but didn't want to seem too eager. Assessing the situation for a couple seconds, he took a seat beside Reno, ready to silence the younger Turk if and when he ever crossed a line. Folding his hands together he silently observed. Reno pointed in the direction of the next room, "Yer mom ain't here! Now just answer the question!"

"No."

"Come on, answer it!"

"There's nothing _to_ answer," she argued, popping another forkful of pasta into her mouth to avoid speaking further.

"Spike ain't putting out?"

Aerith's eyes widened and she nearly choked on her food, sputtering violently. Rude stood from his chair quick as lightning, moving to help her when she raised a hand squeaking out that it was okay over a particularly large chunk of meatball. Pounding on her chest, she cleared her throat, face hot, and glared at the smirking redhead. Under usual circumstances she would have found it funny, maybe even laughed, but her unstable hormones had failed her and the truth was out and as clear as the nose on her face. Oh yes, the one check on her list of pregnancy annoyances that she had tried to pretend wasn't there since it was just so . . . animalistic.

Cloud wouldn't touch her.

He was freaked out, and she was too, just a little bit, but the desire wouldn't go away. It only returned with a vengeance, festering within her core, un-dealt with and as much as she was prepared for it, she had still honestly been surprised by the intensity in which she felt so-so—needy. Trying to hide all the emotions and thoughts going through her mind she turned her head trying and failing to seem unfazed.

"So that's what it is," Reno smiled smugly, having way too much fun with this revelation. "Blondie won't take ya to pound tow—" Reno's face connected with the table, **hard**, and she just sat there beyond red, eyes wide, and watched as Rude dug the redhead's face into the table a few more times, for good measure, before releasing him.

"That's enough," the bald Turk said, arms crossing over his chest. He returned to sitting back in his chair, observing. Reno slowly sat back up, rubbing his nose and chin and everything else that ached.

"Fuck me," he cursed, hand still rubbing his jaw, he reached out and picked up his sunglasses placing them back on his forehead after their brief flight across the table, touching his lips to feel for blood, he glared at the older man, "did it have to be that hard?"

"Yes."

"Christ."

Aerith stood with her plate in hand, shaking her head, "I'm done talking about this."

"Hey, ey, ey!" Reno grabbed her by the elbow, dragging her back towards the table, "We're not done yet, si'down." Pulling her down into her chair he rubbed his nose a few more times before inhaling sharply though the nose, satisfied, he turned to her again, "So Strife's the reason you feel like you don't got it?"

Blushing, she looked away, "who me or Cloud?"

"You know which one," he supplied for her.

She bit her lip, finding no way, to escape Reno's iron lock on her elbow and sighed, there was no use trying to get him to drop it either, the two Turks were here almost every day, he'd just keep asking until she cracked. "Look at me, Reno. Really look at me." She turned to him, and continued, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible, "It's not Cloud, it's just me." Reno released her arm but she continued, hormones choosing to open up now instead of keeping everything closed and locked like it had been before, "I look exhausted! I'm huge! I'm uncomfortable all the time! What guy would possibly find this attractive?"

Reno continued to rub his chin, but she didn't know whether it still hurt or he was thinking really hard, "Some guys like that," he offered. The glare she gave him was just as understandable as a spoken response. Shrugging it off, he made a noise of finality, like no one could argue with his logic, "Kitten, _relax_. Trust me, _plenty_ of guys see you in their dreams, you don't have to worry about a thing!"

"I still don't feel attractive."

"Oh, but you are!"

"_Really_?" she shot back unconvinced. Even if what Reno said was true, she still didn't care, she only wanted one man to find her attractive, to want her and need her as much as she needed him right now and he was unresponsive. Always finding an excuse to do something else instead of be with her. Her mother was beginning to question the many shopping trips she had sent her out on just to get a little time alone with him and each and every time her mother would come back to find her on the couch, arms crossed, expression sour, and feeling completely and utterly undesirable, but that was something she'd never let her mother know. Never.

"Sure you are! A face like yours isn't something a lot of people see very often, you know," he reached into the pink box pulling out a ribbed donut coated in pink strawberry icing, her favorite, handing her the donut, he reached back in and pulled out a long maple bar handing it to Rude, who took it wordlessly. Aerith guessed he would have never gotten it himself if Reno hadn't have handed it to him. Reaching in once more, he pulled out a chocolate donut covered in sprinkles and munched thoughtfully, it was only after all the pastries had been passed out that she felt her face cross with confusion.

"How did you know—?"

"Not important."

She frowned, but let him continue anyway.

"_Anyway_, you're a pretty girl Aerith, even I'll admit, but then again I was completely convinced once you changed your outfit to that short little rebel number," he grinned smugly. She rolled her eyes. Oh yes she remembered that outfit, she hadn't been able to wear it for months. When she had first got it she had wanted it to convey what she was feeling on the inside, hoping it would be able to translate to anyone who would try to talk to her: **fuck off**. It had done the complete opposite instead. After Geostigma she had really come to like it though, felt comfortable enough to show a little skin, confident even. Then she had gotten pregnant.

So much for that outfit.

Thinking about her precious clothes was beginning to make her feel a little sad; it was hard to believe that clothes that tight could be so comfortable but they were. She had always wondered what the deal was with so many belts and had wanted to try it herself, actually thinking it was cute, but it had been a giant pain in the neck to take them off, although, being a constant wearer of many belts himself, Cloud never seemed to have any trouble with them. She blushed, scolding herself mentally. Was sex really going to be on her mind this often? If she wasn't worrying about Shin-Ra and the future and the baby she was worrying about what was failing to happen in the bedroom and it bothered her to no end. It felt like she couldn't get her priorities straight!

"No matter how you look at it you can't deny it! Even if you're gonna have a kid, big deal, you should still know it's true," Taking a couple more bites, he chewed, swallowed, then pointed his donut at her, "Go ahead, say it!"

"Say it?"

"Come on say it!"

"Say what?"

Pounding his free hand on the table, he raised his donut high above his head, "I'm a sexy bitch!"

Reno ducked, narrowly avoiding Rude's fist, "Not the bad kind! The 'I know I'm hot don't mess with me' kind! Come on say it! Assert your authority!" he roared, like he was leading an unstoppable army.

"No."

Reno slumped back into his chair, sending a bored glance her way, "you know you're really hard to talk to."

"So I've been told."

"You need more proof?" He asked, nearly at his wits end. And this was Reno, he didn't have a wits end. Shrugging her shoulders at him, she thought what the heck, and went with it.

"Sure, why not?"

"I'd do you," He smirked. This time he was too slow and Rude smacked him upside the head, making him drop his sprinkled donut. Holding the offended spot he glared at the older man again, rubbing angrily, if they hadn't always acted this way Aerith would have thought the smack down of the century was about to happen, but alas, they were just Reno and Rude. "Always with the hitting! No 'Reno that's rude' or 'Reno shut up', nah, always the hitting!"

Rude's arms went back to being crossed over his chest as he spoke, "That's the only way you'll learn."

"She wanted proof so I gave 'er proof!"

"This whole conversation is highly inappropriate," the bald Turk said. By way of explanation? She'd probably never know.

Reno picked his donut back up and took an angry bite, crumbs falling from his mouth as he talked, "You coulda said that at the **beginning **of the conversation!" Shoving the rest of the pastry into his mouth he chewed a few more times before swallowing, the lump of what was once chocolate, sprinkles, and bread traveling down his throat. Giving himself a couple seconds to clear his throat, he continued, "Where was I? Oh yeah, if you weren't so married to Cloud stick-up-his-ass Strife, I'd be all over you!" He shrugged wiping his hands off and putting his arms behind his head like what he said wasn't weird at all.

She stared at him skeptically; pretty certain he was only saying so to cheer her up and pushed matters further, "Even with my big fat baby belly?"

Grinning wickedly, he cocked his head at her, "I'm up for new things!" Before she could even register it happened Reno had backed away from Rude, his face the most serious she had ever seen and a finger pointed in Rude's direction, "Don't you even think of hitting me, man!" Sure enough Rude's left fist was poised to strike, the right innocently holding a half-eaten maple bar. Rude chewed once, then twice, and then slowly lowered his fist. The redhead wasn't too convinced though, static even as his eyes tracked the older man's every move, giving it a little more time, he moved back into his seat, satisfied. Turning back to her, he gave her another apathetic shrug, "But seeing as your man's killed the world's strongest SOLDIER twice, I'd say that puts you in a no touchy zone, wouldn't it?"

She smiled glad that this awkward banter was beginning to come to an end, "I'd say it does, you know, just a little."

"So you finally believe me?"

Looking towards the table, she couldn't help the little smile that tugged at her lips, no matter how hard she tried to fight it. Nodding slowly, she finally conceded, letting Reno talk her into believing something she truly didn't feel at the moment. "Yes. I believe you."

"Good!"

Elmyra walked into the kitchen just as Aerith began to nibble on her donut. Sensing the awkward silence at her arrival, she raised an eyebrow questioningly and moved to the counter to turn on the coffee machine, "Did I miss something?"

Reno opened his mouth to speak but Aerith cut him off quickly, "Nope, nothing!" Elmyra remained unconvinced but let it slide. "Whatever you say . . ."

Aerith returned to her pastry, eyes moving down to the pink treat in her hand when she caught something move in the corner of the room. The shifting image faded into the background but for a moment it had been clear as day. Her eyes widened.

"Hey, when did we make the transition from quick scuffles on the road to talking about your sex life in your crib?"

Aerith's eyes widened further as she flushed bright red and she faintly registered the sound of Elmyra dropping a glass behind her.

* * *

Turning the doorknob, Cloud let himself into the house, pocketing his keys once he closed the door behind him. It had been a long day, not easy either, the first client of the day had decided to hold up the rest of the orders with false accusations that took about an hour of explaining himself out of, even with the paperwork to prove his case in front of him, that man just couldn't get it through his thick skull. Then on top of that it had rained on him in the middle of nowhere. He absentmindedly rubbed his behind groaning at the ache, damn. His ass hurt. He'd have to look into getting a plusher seat for Fenrir, soon. Not even bothering to wait till he got upstairs, he began to unbuckle his pauldron, working the belt loose so he could have room to properly rotate his shoulder. Content, he folded it up and tossed it on the couch, opting to pick it up tomorrow instead of putting it away then.

"Aerith, I'm home!" he called out, starting to work at the buckle around his other shoulder. It was quiet, too quiet.

"Hey look whose back!"

Cloud's eyes narrowed and he cursed under his breath at the overly chipper voice coming from the kitchen. Reno made his way towards the living room and sent a small salute the delivery man's way.

"Why are you still here?" He asked removing the long fabric that draped over his left leg and tossing it onto the couch. This was just what Cloud needed, it truly was.

Reno smiled, placing his hands behind his back innocently, "oh you know, just watching out for your girl, eating donuts, talking about how you can't satisfy her needs, discussing the—"

"What did you say?" Cloud's eyes were confused; they didn't know whether they wanted to be wide or narrow into his infamous glare. He hoped for Reno's sake he had heard wrong, he'd sworn off killing after Sephiroth's defeat. Reno continued to smile, just asking for it, "watching out for your girl?"

"No."

"Eating donuts?"

"No."

"Talking about how you can't satisfy her—"

Reno never got to finish the sentence before Cloud's fist connected with open air. The blond stared in shock as the bent backwards form of Reno met his eyes, face twisted into a look of complete and utter pain as Rude stood behind him, hand on the redhead's ponytail, a few strands hanging loosely from his grip, suggesting they had been torn out. Cloud pulled back, watching with slight pleasure as Reno fell the rest of the way down to the floor, screaming a long string of curses.

"MY MOTHER FUCKING BACK OH MY GOD, RUDE WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING? GODDAMMIT SHIT FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!"

"Saving your skull," the older man supplied coolly, releasing the other man's ponytail and sending a shower of errant red hairs sailing to the floor.

Cloud placed his hands on his hips, watching as the Turk screamed bloody murder as he writhed on the floor, looking up he gave a small nod the bald Turk's way, "It's better than what I would have done with him."

The other Turk nodded back an acknowledgement. Cloud fixed his glove and walked around Reno to the other side of the room just as his wife walked out of the kitchen. Smiling softly at her he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her gently into a loving kiss, cutting off any question she would have asked about the crimson haired Turk convulsing on their living room floor. Her eyes went from their large state at seeing Reno on the floor, to fluttering shut as her own arms snaked around his neck, holding him closer. Her hand fisted into his spiky hair as she abandoned herself entirely, reassuring herself Reno would be okay in a couple days. Pulling away, Cloud smiled at her once more, resting his forehead against her own, and in a breathy voice he spoke, "hi."

She laughed pressing herself close to him again, stopping when she could no longer move any further, looking down, she realized it was her tummy that had prevented her from achieving the closeness she had wanted and with a giggle she met his sapphire eyes with her emerald ones, "Hi, yourself."

Pressing their lips together in a quick kiss, he tapped his finger against her nose playfully, and she could feel her eyes cross as she tried to see it. Covering her nose with her hand afterwards she glared playfully at him, pushing his hand away, and she was amazed by the small laugh he gave. A minute ago she was almost certain he was going to kill Reno and now he was laughing and playing with her, it seemed she wasn't the only one who went through mood swings in this house. Pulling her to his side he watched Reno stand up shakily, rubbing his throbbing back while muttering faint curses under his breath.

With that smile still on his face he nodded towards the door, "Get out."

She slapped him gently on the chest and he looked down at her confused, "What?"

Disentangling herself from him she moved to the door, opening it up for the pouting Turk, smiling all the while, "_Please_ get out."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're going," Reno huffed, hands still rubbing the back that had previously been bent at the most ungodly angle. Stepping up to the door he was about to exit when he stopped, glancing at Cloud over his shoulder. Rude was already out the door sharing goodbyes with Aerith as Reno stepped up to Cloud looking anywhere but him. Cloud raised an eyebrow.

"Look, if you're not gonna fuck at least tell her she's pretty or something," the redhead whispered.

Cloud's mouth fell into a frown and he took a threatening step closer, Reno took a step forward, hands leaving his back to point at himself, "hey I'm just trying to help you!" he hissed at the blond. "She feels all ugly right now because you won't pay attention to her, tell her she's pretty, write her a poem, bring her flowers I don't give a shit! Just make sure she knows you still want to do the dirty with her."

Cloud's glare never fell and his hands remained firmly planted at his sides. Reno sighed, retuning to rubbing his back as he turned around and walked out the door, tossing a quick bye over his shoulder at the woman holding the door open. Aerith closed it, giving him an odd look as he ran his hand through his hair stiffly.

"I'm going upstairs," he ground out, Reno's words playing over and over again in his head, swarming his every other thought away. Aerith looked down, wringing her hands together.

"Oh, okay. I'll just . . . cleanup a bit," she made to move past him when an arm wrapped around her waist, sweeping her up into strong arms. He positioned her higher, her legs coming to wrap around his waist, and the swell of their baby pressing into his chest, a blush colored her cheeks and he realized that it was probably the first time he'd ever really seen her blush, she was usually so bold, the straightforward one in the relationship, while he was the one who blushed furiously, got nervous quickly. When did things become so backwards? Smiling, he decided it didn't matter and began to walk her towards the stairs, "it can wait."

"O-okay," she squeaked.

He carried her up the stairs and opened the door to the bedroom. He was exhausted and not exactly comfortable enough for what she really wanted from him but he figured she wouldn't mind waiting just a little longer. She'd probably be disappointed, yes, but if she at least saw that she was absolutely wrong, that he really did believe she was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on, he believed she'd forgive him.

She always does.


	15. Apparitions

Back so soon? Oh my god the world must be ending!

So, yup! Chapter 15 is here. Because of a lack of feedback on a revised version of the story I can only take it as a "continue" for the old story. One of these days I'll get around to revisions of all parts of the AU but for now, I'll just pull a SQUARE and get to it later. I will, however, try to weave in some of the elements of the new story into this one but I can only do so much without making an even bigger mess of the plot. The previous chapter had strayed from the story's usual drama and romance to bring a little humor in. I just wanted to use that as a reminder that even though this story will at times be dark and dramatic it's still a story about pregnancy which _will _mean that normal complications and side effects will ensue. Even if Aerith is a Cetra, she is still a woman, which means we'll be able to see Aerith in the everyday norm of pregnant mood swings, cravings, and other equally amusing normal situations :) Even though I have decided to wait on the revision for the AU please don't be afraid to contact me about it, any thoughts or feedback would be nice, heck you can even talk to me about this story, thoughts opinions, don't be afraid to share them with me!

Also, a small warning, later in the chapter we get a small glimpse into the inner workings of Rufus Shinra and it gets a little risqué and maybe even a little disturbing, I'd like to remind everyone that this **is **an **M-rated story **and to read at your own risk.

As always

Disclaimer: I own nothing. SQUARE-ENIX owns all.

* * *

"_Where the hell you been, shithead?! Tifa and Barret told me you an' Aerith fuckin' dropped off the face'a'tha goddamn planet! Swear ta god, if you two broke up again and are hiding your pain an' despair from the world I'm gonna fuckin' kick your emo asses straight to he—!"_

"_Message erased. Next unheard message."_

"_Ok you two, this stopped being funny three months ago. Ya got yer own lives, sure, I respect that, but disappearin' for five months isn't a laughin' matter! I especially don't appreciate those two rings and unavail'ble voicemail messages I get on yer cells! Look, I ain't here to yell at'cha, but I AM here to remind you two of what'cha got wait'n for ya at Teef's place, remember? Either come around once and a while or answer yer phones! You don't know how heartbroken these kids are righ'now . . ."_

"_Message erased. Next unheard message."_

"_Cloud, Aerith, please! Where have you been? Are you okay? Please answer the phone . . . please. The Turks have been stopping by the bar and they're saying things I can't—"_

"_Message erased. Next unheard message."_

"_Um, hey! It's Yuffie! . . . Are you guys mad at us . . .?"_

"_Message erased. Next unheard message."_

Tseng had been sitting in the office for a while. Even though he'd been trained to manipulate the most powerful technology, break the most strenuous codes, there was still nothing he could do about a simple answering machine's listen-first-delete-later system. It was a company answering machine, which shouldn't have surprised him at all, its sole purpose was to not miss a single call, storing the message for the listener to hear later and erase at his own leisure. A simple purpose, with a much more complicated code. So he sat and listened, pressing the button that sent the erase command whenever he felt he was done listening, if he was being forced to sit here in the dark and play along in Rufus' little game, he may as well get a bit of fun out of it.

The next message played and Tifa's voice traveled through the wires, repressed desperation the soundtrack to his night. This whole job was adolescent. The messages played through his own personal-use ear buds—o ne in his right ear and the other resting lazily on his chest—as he sat rigid, deleting messages on the answering machine like a child trying to hide a secret from their parents. If there was one thing he prided himself on it was his professionalism when it came to getting a job done. This was not one of those moments. A different message began and he let his hand fall from its place on the red button, his eyes had long since adjusted to the dark and with his ability to make out objects hidden in the darkness he surveyed the room, bored.

He still didn't understand why this room was called Cloud's, it seemed as though Aerith occupied it more than her brooding delivery boy husband.

Pressing the delete button, his mind wandered again. The office could be Cloud's now, he supposed, they'd put her on tight restrictions after all. The room, however, oozed Aerith.

The desk was arranged with objects of all kinds, and though it looked a mess from afar it was actually quite neat. The answering machine from hell had a few neighbors in its corner of the desk, a few picture frames reclining on their stands; a file sorter with each slot filled and labeled; a three tier desk shelf side by side with a tray sorter, both filled; binders of different colors and sizes; a sleekly styled computer, monitor, and keyboard; a wooden pencil holder; and a printer, sat on top, a bowl filled with individually wrapped candies. Pressed against the wall was a large ebony bookcase brimming with more files and binders; next to it, but above the computer, was a large bulletin board with white and yellow papers pinned to it. An all-around normal home office that anyone could have, but . . .

Picking up the closest thing to him, he let his gaze travel over it, thinking as he did. The pencil holder was polished dark cherry wood, and intricately designed with flower carvings, it housed a couple greenish-blue pens with the addition of a red pen, green highlighters, and a thick metallic pink pen that had a plastic moogle topper (further inspection revealed that pushing down on the moogle's pom-pom caused the pen to click open and shut). Setting it down he examined the picture frames, pressing the erase button robotically.

They were school pictures of Marlene Wallace and Denzel, each child getting their own frame. Marlene's sunny smile lit up the entire picture, while Denzel held a more reserved closed-lip smile; both children looked generally happy in their spring background photos. The next photo was of the adults, all sat at the bar in Seventh Heaven, large smiles on most of the faces. He couldn't help but look for the brunette first, quilted by sitting in her office uninvited perhaps, and found her sitting with the girls smack dab in the middle of the group, leaning forward on her stool against the counter holding a glass of wine. Tifa had leaned forward from her place behind the bar, smiling wide and holding a wine glass of her own while Yuffie slumped against the counter, face annoyed and hand on her cheek as she held up a soda bottle, miffed at being un-allowed to partake in the alcohol. The men in the picture all held beer bottles, and he was a little surprised to see Vincent held one in his gloved hand as well, though he didn't smile like the others. Even the fire wolf Hojo had procured for research had a bowl before him, but the liquid appeared to be water; the Cait Sith unit present didn't have a drink with him but he still looked happy to have been included. The older men held the biggest grins; Barret and Cid both had their arms on the other's shoulder, and bottles raised high. Lastly, he examined Cloud, standing between Barret and Aerith, a small smile on his face as he tried to figure out exactly where he stood in the group, uncertainty in his eyes, to anyone else it would have looked a normal pose, bottle tipped toward the camera in a less prominent way than the older members to his right and smile good enough for a picture yet awkward enough to show he wasn't used to the expression.

However, Tseng knew better.

From the way the two weren't completely wrapped around each other, staring lovingly into the other's eyes, the picture had to have been taken during the small amount of time between Aerith deciding to take residence in Edge, and Cloud and her becoming an official item. The stoic wall of genetically engineered muscle mass couldn't hide it, it was as clear to anyone as the glow of his mako eyes, the longing to be with the woman who stood beside him, immersing herself in her friends, body close enough to where if he leaned in a bit closer, he could wrap his arms around her, but far enough back to where he could silence the urge and stand by her side as a friend. It was hard to believe that the battle hardened SOLDIER he had first encountered when Reno had set the bomb to destroy the plate would turn into this simple man, driven to move forward by his unwavering love for the last Cetra. The first years of restoration had seen an unsettlingly desperate Cloud.

Something glimmered in the darkness and he realized the frame was adorned with a small silver plaque. Tilting his head as he pressed the erase button, he read the words engraved on the silver: DREAM TEAM.

The next message played and he turned to the frame beside it. _This_ was a picture taken during their relationship. Cloud had his arm around her waist, hand settled comfortably on the curve of her hip, smiling a genuine smile as she leaned into him, proudly showing off a stack of neatly organized papers to the camera. The house he currently sat in stood behind them, looking empty and unlived in, desperately needing a coat of color or two to chase away the gloomy atmosphere of the dark gray walls. It had been taken the day all of the paperwork had been finalized and they were allowed to move into the modest two-story home/headquarters.

Tseng hit the erase button and vaguely wondered what he would find if her were to turn on the computer. Would the desktop background be a boring mixture of work tittle and slogan? Or another sickeningly sweet picture of the mother and father to-be, swept up in the midst of young love and the life they planned to build together? Pre-baby crisis of course. Perhaps a picture of the orphans that were not their children by blood, or even a picture of some place they'd been to.

Pressing the erase button, his eyes flickered up to the clock. It was three in the morning. No wonder his mind was entertaining such nonsense.

Continuing his scrutiny of the Strife Delivery Service main office, he began gathering more evidence of Aerith's presence in the business, reeling from just how much he knew about her and her husband's relationship. Anywhere that she possibly could have without embarrassing Cloud or making it overkill, she had included flowers. The pencil holder was one of them, and the bowl filled with candies was shaped into the long willowy petals of a flower he couldn't identify, painted in pastel pink and green. A small corner of the bulletin board had dried flowers pinned into the cork material, and he racked his brain for the names of the preserved plants, having remembered seeing them in a childhood that seemed a thousand years ago . . .

His eyes laid upon a branch like plant pinned closest to the edge of the board, the leaves were spiny and small, with crumpled blooms that might have once been white. He'd remembered seeing quite a few of them in his youth, most commonly around spring . . . holly, he believed. The next was a plant whose brown rimmed petals told him they had once been a bright yellow . . . a tulip. Next to the tulip was a delicate bloom whose long petals belled out like a woman's skirt mid twirl, the dingy brown was tinted pink and he mused as to how lovely it would have been in its prime, a pink hibiscus. The last of the flowers were a small bunch of ivy blossoms, bundled neatly with the others in their little corner of the bulletin board, the faint hints of their distinctive aromas hung in the air if you were to get close enough, and he had, taking an opportunity that hadn't been available to him since he was a child. The lilies that prospered in the church were lovely, but for many years had been the only plant he had ever known in the foul depths of Midgar, it was nice to breathe in the scent of other flowers again, to remember that the world was slowly but surely flourishing.

All of it reminded him of her.

The numbers on the machine were slowly counting down to the final message, his hand extending to delete the current message that was awaiting a command when he heard a creek from down the hall.

The machine waited for a command, going through its protocol for lack of user action.

_"To listen to this message again, press—"_, he pulled the ear bud out of his ear, listening intently. The noise had sounded like a door. It couldn't have been the front door, the time and circumstances just wouldn't allow it that only left a bedroom door. Removing the ear buds from the jack as he stood, he slipped into the shadows. Soft footfalls could be heard descending the stairs and he moved on cat's paws to the crack between the door and the door frame, peering through.

* * *

_"This is the path I was always meant to take!" _

_Her heart hurt, it hurt so badly she felt as if she would die. There was so much she wanted to do, so much she wanted to say, but she couldn't speak, she couldn't function. Her lips parted but all that escaped was a ragged breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. Strong hands took hold of her own and she wanted to cry. These hands she thought would be forever holding her own were gentle, giving her a comfort that only they could. _

_Brilliant blue eyes locked with hers and she was reminded of the first time she ever gazed upon those glowing pools that reminded her so much of the sky after a storm. Her world revolved around those eyes. His heartbeat was hers, his smiles were her happiness, and his pain was her heartache. _

_He smiled at her, unafraid, unacquainted with the terrible fear that beat within her chest. Her grip on his hands tightened as he whispered words that chilled her to the very bone._

_"I'll be back, I promise . . ."_

Aerith's eyes fluttered open. Rain beat softly against the roof, the sound soothing, like a lullaby, setting her frantic heart at ease. She shifted, leaning up to rest on her elbow, watching the rain from the crack between the curtains. She didn't move, the sheets pooled around her hips as her eyes lingered on the falling rain. Placing her arms behind her back she gently pushed herself all the way up, belly brushing against the knee she had drawn towards her. She slid the leg a little ways aside, foot gliding over the smooth silk of the sheets, chilled from her unmoving form just moments before.

She thought about the dream, slipping quickly through her grasp like sand, she thought about those eyes, those feelings, and blinked as it all disappeared.

"Zack . . ."

The rain continued to fall, gentle pitter-pattering calming to lighter drops, as if the clouds were acknowledging the word that had escaped her lips with a whisper. Something pulled at her, telling her there was something she was missing, something she wasn't quite seeing. The fog cleared from her sleepy mind, and her eyes widened once the realization of what she had said set in.

She stared at her hand, studying the fine lines and creases in her palm, trying to make sense of what had happened, failing to collect the pieces of the dream that were falling away faster and faster. Pulling the plush covers off, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, toes twitching from the shock of the icy hardwood floor on her warm skin, and carefully stood, remembering her doctor's advice. Her eyes never left the gap in the curtains. Turning her head she broke the connection between emerald orbs and the call of the rain. She crossed the room and approached the closet, opening the doors and sifting through the clothing. Her fingers felt blindly for a certain material, the chill beginning to get to her as it raised goose bumps along her flesh, and her hands finally found what she had been looking for. Removing a fluffy cream colored robe from its hangar, she slipped it back into the closet and slid her arms through the sleeves, tying it into a sloppy bow at the front, letting the fabric drape over the chilled skin her less modest nightgown didn't cover. Her gaze drifted down as she realized just how much shorter the fabric belt hung than the last time she had worn it. Closing the closet doors, she turned around to open the bedroom door, the squeal of the wood not loud enough to concern waking her mother with, and descended the stairs. The darkness of the stairwell melted into the faint milky glow of the living room, illuminated by the street lights outside. Aerith could only stand, transfixed on a feeling she couldn't place, a memory she couldn't recall. The dream itself had long since vanished but the name still remained, along with the image of two magnificent blue eyes, no face to place the pieces, only eyes that were so familiar to her yet so different all the same. Before she even processed she was moving she had crossed the room to the kitchen, led by the small square of light on the counter that called her like a beacon. Her hands closed around her cellphone, still plugged into the charger, and she could only stare at it, digital numbers returning her stare. She bit her lip, moving to put it back down and turn around to get some much needed sleep, when her hand instead choose to flip it open. Chewing her bottom lip, she fought with herself, thinking it through. It was late . . . it was really late . . .

She made her decision. Opening up her contacts list she typed in two letters to narrow down her results and hit send, the muffled sound of the ring reached her ears as she raised it and waited. If the phone went to voice mail she'd go to bed, if it answered . . .

There was a click on the other end and her heart fluttered as a voice groggy with sleep answered, "Strife . . ."

She smiled, not really expecting to have been given his standard not-anyone-I-care-about greeting and fished for something to say, she'd wanted to hear his voice so badly she didn't even think to prepare words for herself.

". . . Hello?" His voice sounded more woken up with the slightest bit of irritation, annoyed at the hour.

Fearing he would hang up, she said the most logical thing she should have said at the beginning, "Hello, Cloud . . ."

There was a pause and she could hear him fumbling with the phone, most likely checking the caller ID that he hadn't checked before, and replied, voice surprised and very much awake, "Aerith? What's wrong?"

She wrapped both her hands around the phone, not really sure what to say. Maybe it would have been best if she hadn't called. Unable to come up with a lie that would satisfy her, she figured telling the truth was better than nothing at all.

"I just . . . needed to hear your voice . . ." she whispered, hair falling over her eyes and hands clasping her cell tighter. He'd been gone for so long; she needed something to tell her he was still there. "I need . . ." she faltered, the last two weeks taking its toll on her. There was a small shift in her core and she wondered if she had woken the baby.

"It's okay, I'm here . . ." there was another movement in her tummy that was stronger than the one before. Recognition, perhaps? They shared the same body for now, the same pulse and blood. Maybe the baby sensed just how much she missed its father . . . and was trying to comfort her with a reminder of its presence. Releasing her vise on the phone, she placed a hand on her bump, feeling the small push through her nightgown and robe clear as day against her palm. Tears began to gather at the corner of her eyes and she cursed the instability of her hormones for the runny nose that was to ensue. Although a little choked up, she spoke into the phone with a smile, "the baby's moving."

"_Really_?" his voice had gone from worried to excited, a seemingly impossible change this early in the morning, "Did it wake you up? You're not in pain, are you?"

"I'm fine," she answered gently, unable to hide the joy in her voice caused by the joy in his, "I've been awake for a while now . . ."

"Aerith, you really need your—"

"I know, I know," she cut him off. He'd always been so protective of her, even before they had fallen in love. That was just how he was in general she supposed, he'd rush head first into danger for someone he cared about, now that the battles were over he never put himself above a good scolding and a helping hand. She wasn't just one person anymore, she was two and though his protective persistence could be a bit overbearing at times it was sweet to know how much he cared. She was carrying a life that they had created together, and he would go to any length to protect it and her.

"I just couldn't sleep," she whispered, "I miss you, Cloud . . ."

He was silent, and she could picture him as he was at that moment, lying in his bed at the inn, pajama bottoms only because he hated shirts in bed, left arm behind his head, right holding his phone to his ear, and lips pursed as he thought of what to say next. She'd lived with him for almost two years and had learned a thing or two about his sleeping habits. He was a cuddler, and if he wasn't sleeping with her he was as stiff as a rock, unable to shake the militaristic one-eye-open form of sleeping that had been drilled into him during his time as a Shin-Ra infantryman, and even more so during their travels. That wasn't to say his rock-like state wasn't performed in relaxed positions, just completely and utterly still. He'd nearly given her a heart attack those first few days of living together when she'd come home to find him immobile on the couch, deathly still.

Shaking her head, she forced herself back to the present as his voice came through with the fuzzy sound all calls had, "I miss you too . . . I'll be back in a few days, it won't be much longer." She nodded to herself—fully aware he couldn't see it—and unplugged her cellphone, taking a seat at the table. The baby shifted once more.

"I know . . ."

"Still doesn't make it easier, huh?"

"Not a bit." She rested her cheek on her palm; sifting her fingers though her hair, "I've grown accustomed to your face . . ." she played, giving a nonchalant lilt to her words. He chuckled softly and the sound set her heart aflutter. His laughs were a rarity due to his withdrawn nature, and undeniably sexy. What had she done in her life to be the cause of such a sound? To be able to make him smile and make him laugh and make him _happy_.

"I had a dream, you know," she found herself speaking into the phone, words tumbling out of their own accord, passing her lips before she could process they were there.

"Tell me about it . . ." he urged, voice silky smooth, almost as if he were relaxing himself, getting comfortable.

"Mmhm," she nodded taking her head off her palm and righting it so she could lean against the table with her elbow, cradling the phone to her ear almost lovingly, "I dreamt that I was in the church."

"Okay, then what happened?"

She smiled, "All of a sudden, something came crashing through the roof and nearly landed on top of me!" Her words were barely louder than whispers as she tried her best to not alert her mother to her presence downstairs. He was silent, most likely figuring out where this conversation was going and let her proceed anyway, having no intention to cut her short, "it was a strange man I'd never seen before, but as I got closer, I realized I _had_ met him before."

Why on the planet she had decided to recount the events of their first meeting she didn't know, but she was glad she did, feeling things so differently now than she had at that moment in time, unaware of the impact this lucky-to-be-alive man would have on her life. She could almost feel him smile from so many miles away and with the mental image of his smile she was about to continue when he spoke.

"And then what happened?"

"Well, I woke him up, told him how lucky he was to not be dead, exchanged names and then we went on an adventure!" She listed as the baby began to move once more, she liked to believe that it was listening to her story, settling itself to go back to sleep with the tale of its parents' journey not so long ago, "We saw the world, met so many new people, did so many new things! Danger was always right around the corner, even years after we thought the journey had ended but things always turned out alright in the end . . ."

There was silence, but not the uncomfortable separating kind, it was a knowing silence, as they both let her words sink in, and thought about what they truly meant now.

After a while, he spoke, ". . . and then what happened?"

Aerith smiled, wishing more than ever to be by his side so she could whisper her answer against his lips, all too aware once more of the distance between them, the phone would just have to do. With no hint of hesitation in her voice, she recited the ending of her story, "We lived happily ever after."

Miles away, in a bed that wasn't his, in a place that wasn't home, he smiled, hand around his phone tightening ever so slightly.

"I like that ending," he felt himself whisper, warmth flooding into his chest that only she could let flow.

"I like it too . . ."

* * *

Tseng watched her walk up the stairs, looking tired and hair disheveled. She emerged from the stairwell, scratching the back of her head, a lovely close-lipped smile gracing her lips as the hand that had previously been lost in the nest of her honey kissed locks wrapped around her body. She rubbed herself to ward off the chill and slowly opened the door to her bedroom, disappearing inside. Tseng stepped out of the shadows just as she shut the door halfway. Pocketing his ear buds he moved to sneak out the way he had come when he paused, feet turning to cement before her door. Whatever force had compelled him to cease all action and observe her was a persuasive one, and he watched wordlessly as she removed her robe, the thin straps of her nightgown slipping off her shoulders in the process. Yawning into her hand, she made no motion to fix them and only turned; pulling back the rumpled covers and curling herself back into bed. A sigh escaped impeccable lips as her arms crept out from her blanket cocoon, grabbing the unoccupied pillow beside her and wrapping it in a tight embrace. He turned away from the door and continued on, trying to erase the vision of her face buried in the plush pillow, arms wrapped tight as she pretended it was the taciturn father to her child, doing business somewhere off in another continent by suggestion of Shin-Ra.

He wanted to forget it, but at the same time he wanted to keep it close, hold the image of her unknowing visage for the months that were to come, when she would no longer be able to live her life as blissfully undisturbed as she did now.

He could only hope she'd find it in her to forgive him.

Having finished what he'd set out to do, he left the Strife residence and turned to walk along the empty streets, unsure of where he was going or what he was going to do when he got there. With no destination set, he walked into the night, letting the streetlamps light his way.

* * *

How long would it be before he could manage a decent night's sleep?

Rufus' eyes were bloodshot, as they had been for the past few weeks. He couldn't sleep, no matter how much his body demanded rest or his eyes craved to seal shut. Closing his eyes was bad, worse than draining his body with the lack of sleep. If he closed his eyes now he subjected himself to salacious illusions that threatened to throw him off the enticing precipice he had been tip-toeing along for the last year and a half. It was maddening, his mind coveted sleep . . . but his body craved more corporeal enterprise.

Every time it was the same. Since the very minute he learned she had survived the cooperative calamity that was Jenova and Sephiroth, METEOR, and Geostigma, even if it was irrelevant to his plan for the planet and the Geostigma that was slowly killing him from the inside out.

Each time he saw her, standing before him like a mortal Venus, appearance adapting to whatever form he had seen her in before. For now her hair was long, much longer than it had been the first time he had lain eyes on the 'key to the promised land', and flowed in umber waves around delicate pale skin. She was never fully clothed, his mind choosing to instead adorn her in material that struggled to cling to her shapely frame. The encounters with his apparition were always the same . . . she would smile at him, emerald eyes darkened with hungry thoughts he could never decode as her hands would discard whatever kept his gaze from taking in every inch of her ethereal body. Slender fingers would travel along her own body, grasping and sighing as she explored herself, biting her lower lip, gasping at her own touch. She'd always set her eyes at him at one point in his irrational fantasy, ceasing her self-pleasuring to stalk her way towards him with impure intentions glittering in those lust filled eyes.

She'd climb the bed on all fours, womanhood trembling with need, rose tipped breasts erect with arousal and he'd fuck her. He'd fuck her so good and so hard that she'd scream, begging him for more, begging him to hurt her. Humiliate her. Let her take it wherever he damn well pleased. All of this he saw every night, the ultimate fantasy. So real he'd wake up filthy, exhausted, and satisfied.

And it terrified him.

That this creature—this _woman_—could have such an effect on him. That she could warp his mind with thoughts of sex and torture—to where he conjured ghosts of her in his imagination that were ready _willing_ slaves to whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, wherever he wanted. He was a changed man, he was working to restore the planet, correct his transgressions, not harbor dangerous fantasies about a woman whose purity he desecrated to quench his carnal obsession. The day he called upon Cloud to meet him in Healin he had left his overwhelming need to know her whereabouts under tight lock and key. He needed Cloud on his side, and asking the swordsman about the location of the woman he had raped two years before was detrimental to his goal. Revealing that he knew about the two's unofficial adoption of the boy Denzel had already pushed it too far, asking about the woman Cloud loved would have guaranteed a refusal and a human sized sword through the chest.

Cloud Strife.

He had completely forgotten.

These terrifyingly delicious dreams were beginning to change. Since the day she had stormed into his office, not round but not quite as thin as she had used to be his vision of her was beginning to melt away. Of course he was still haunted by the illusions of her, naked and breathless and bound to something that would keep her still as he fucked into her slick heat, but the gravity of her situation was beginning to meld with the play thing his lust had fabricated. She was appearing less and less, but his consciousness still feared the sleep induced bridge to this sexually promiscuous apparition that would leave him hot and needing more. Only now, she wasn't as willing as she had used to be. Only now, Strife was beginning to work his way in, making love to his wife as only he could, making her moan and sigh in exquisite delight, hips pumping in rhythm to her breathless cries. He had no control over the torture, didn't have a say as the dream world made him suffer within his own mind, giving him vision after vision of Cloud and Aerith screwing into the night. Whenever she'd reach her breaking point, throwing her head back in a paroxysm of pleasure, she would set her eyes on him from over Strife's shoulder, grinning at the fact that Cloud would be able to do it, that he would accomplish the one thing he couldn't. With a few more desperate thrusts and Aerith's wicked grin never leaving, Cloud would growl his climax into her ear, breath shuddering out of him as his seed planted itself within her womb, as he impregnated the last Cetra.

The one thing he hadn't been able to do. He was Rufus Shinra, at one point in his life callous and professional, disgustingly handsome, rich beyond his wildest dreams. He may have been the son of the president and next in line to take over the business but he had had a reputation that could rival his father's. Women were disposable to him, if one wanted to tie him down and build something meaningful from the one night of casual sex, he'd simply throw her away. He was no stranger to an infuriated mess of females whose names and faces he couldn't remember storming into his office and proclaiming she was late and that he was the father of her child. They'd always been taken care of. Thrown out without a single piece of his property or share in his fortune that they had intended to gain under threat of a lawsuit and a fake paternity test.

He had never been bothered with the possibility that he could have children somewhere, having no intention of being weighed down by the little bastards. Life continued to go on, his business was getting bigger and bigger every day and one night stands where trying to get a piece of it by pinning their mongrels on him. Then his father was murdered. The moment he had waited for his whole life had presented itself on a bloody silver platter and he took his place as president of Shin-Ra, unknowingly sealing his fate. It had started out as a simple plan, kill off AVALANCHE and take over the world, but as much as he despised himself to admit it, his father had been right. To rule the world he needed mako energy and the planet was nearly tapped dry, the Promised Land was his only key to the amount of energy he required. The old man had been right about something, he needed the Cetra to open the floodgates to the Promised Land, and much like his father, like the man he had told AVALANCHE he would be different from, he had fallen under the Promised Land's spell. Obsessing over it, coveting it, and then falling under the spell of the Cetra herself.

The research needed another Cetra to come closer to the eventual truth, so he rose to the challenge, not allowing his scientists to experiment like the psychopath, Hojo. He took her in his office, not at all bothered by the half-dead state his soldiers had left her in. When he finished he left the room satisfied, confident that she would be pronounced pregnant at her next examination but he had never been given the chance. Tseng helped her escape and he never saw her again, the company exploded and he barely escaped with his life, METEOR nearly obliterated the planet and he figured her and the rest of AVALANCHE had been killed . . . until Reno had happened to stumble across a flier a few days after his Turks had encountered the remnants of Sephiroth.

Strife Delivery service. Cloud was alive.

With a little more digging he found out that all of AVALANCHE had survived the apocalypse, well . . . all but one. But he had been dead before their paths had crossed. He found out Cloud was rooming with the barmaid, she was running a new drunk house, and everyone else was leading relatively normal lives. And Aerith? . . . She hadn't given birth. He couldn't bring himself to believe that she had aborted the child; they were in the middle of a war and were preoccupied with more important things than seeking out a doctor who would help her perform such an operation. But he had still done what he'd done, her body had been ready to accept his seed and he hadn't used protection. It had left him with questions, so many questions, and he finally decided not to wait around for the next time their paths were to cross.

He had sought out an answer and he got it.

He was sterile.

It had taken a while for the news to really have an impact on him. The world was building itself back up from the wreckage and he had to do his part. He pushed out the realization that all those faked paternity tests to get gold-diggers off his back had been true all along. He had no children. He would never _have_ any children. The world was being done a favor and the Shinra line had come to a halt, ending with him. It hadn't bothered him at all in the beginning, the notion that he'd never have a family to call his own, no matter how undeserving he was of one. It hadn't fazed him one bit, he was content, getting over a disease that had rotted him from his very core and actually making a difference with the funding to Edge and his contributions to the WRO. Then the day had come, a rumor had found its way to his ear and he immediately sent Reno and Rude to confirm or deny its validity.

Aerith Gainsborough was pregnant. Two years too late to be the father, he could only conclude what the evidence had provided. Cloud Strife was the father of her child and had created the strongest bond between him and the woman who haunted the last Shinra's dreams with naked bodies and dirty sex and everything in between.

Rufus' eyes struggled to stay open but he dare not close them, too afraid of closing his heavy lids only to be tormented by the image of the two making hot sweaty love on his bed. Dark glittering emeralds watching him, grinning maniacally as her lover fucked her slowly, legs wrapped tight around the blond's waist and tongue darting out to lick her lips in a torturously slow tease. He fought to stay awake. As the images began to flood even without the act of sleep and he wanted to growl. He wanted to get up and smash everything in the room to pieces, he wanted to break the windows and destroy anything that could shatter by being slammed against a wall. He wanted to tear his eyes from their sockets because he couldn't control the visions and he couldn't control himself and all he wanted was some _sleep_.

But there was nothing he could do. The vision would come whether he shut his eyes or not and he wanted to cry, because he didn't have a grip on anything in his life, not even his sanity.


End file.
